


Frost Burned

by sciencefictioness



Series: Dragonslayers [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Biting, Cheesy romance, Coma, Dragons, Dragonslayer Gray, Feels, Fights, Idiot Dragonslayers, Jealousy, M/M, Magic, Marriage Proposal, Mating, Oracles, Possessive Behavior, Prophecy, Romance, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Violence, Voyeurism, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-13 06:10:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 106,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3370757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sciencefictioness/pseuds/sciencefictioness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gray and Natsu must go on a job to fight an unknown mage before he wreaks havoc on Magnolia.  Can Gray complete the job while keeping his feelings for Natsu a secret?  Meanwhile, Natsu is grappling with an issue of his own, unique to dragonslayers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dreams of Fire

Gray felt the heat licking at him before his eyes fully opened. It was not oppressive, just a steady warmth pulling him up slowly into consciousness. As an ice mage he normally preferred the cold, but this was a nice feeling. Gentle. Comforting. As though he was wrapped in a lovers' embrace. He blinked his lids open slowly, then sat up with a gasp as he took in his room.  


Fire. Fire everywhere. 

"Oh, shit!" 

Gray felt desperately afraid as his eyes darted around. His walls were coated in it, painted with flames. The blaze oozed across his stone floors like liquid. A thousand shades of yellow, red, and orange merged and blended. Hell's very own paint by numbers set. Gray took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, pulling up his hands and drawing on his magic. He figured freezing the whole room would be the most effective way to put it all out at once. 

"Ice Make Instant Freeze!" He shouted, feeling the rush of energy pour out of his hands and blow through the room like a cool breeze. The flames danced in the shockwave of his magic, but no ice came forth. His magic didn't work. Gray needed to get out of there quick. He glanced towards the door and felt his chest tighten.  


There was no door, only a wall of fire.  


Just as he tried to pull on his magic again, the fire began to retreat. It shrank first from the ceiling, then down the walls. The flames descended slowly and began to creep across the floor. Gray stared, open mouthed and panting at the perfect, unburned surfaces. It was as though no fire had ever been there, let alone the inferno that had been his room moments ago.  
Fire started to coalesce in the floor at the foot of his bed, a cyclone of flame swirling in circles, faster and faster. Howling like a strong wind, it danced and shuddered. Then the fire shrank down, cracking like a campfire as it folded in on itself. Light flashed and suddenly instead of roiling flames, a person stood, tendrils of smoke coiling off his skin. The smoke smelled like cinnamon, warm and familiar. Gray blinked rapidly in muddled recognition.

"Natsu?" 

It wasn't really a question. Gray would know that face anywhere. Natsu stood motionless, arms crossed over his chest, pink hair spiking in every direction. His ever present dragon scale scarf was wrapped around his neck, along with loose fitting white pants, but his vest was nowhere to be seen. Looking down, his feet were also bare, which Gray found strange.

A giant fire turning into Natsu in your bedroom is not strange, but him being barefoot is weird? 

Gray shook his head as he caught Natsu's eyes. He inhaled sharply as he was pinned down by that dark eyed stare. Natsu looked at him with an intensity he had never seen before. Gray's soul was laid bare under his gaze, every secret revealed, every dark desire unearthed. Natsu's mouth turned up into an amused smirk.

"You thought your ice could put out my flames?" He asked, putting a challenge in the question with his inflection. Gray was too dumbfounded to argue.

"Uh, I.....uh..."

"I'm burning just for you, snowflake. You think a few ice cubes can stop me?" 

Natsu grinned, a mischievous gleam in his eyes as he climbed onto the bed.

 _Natsu smiled at me,_ Gray thought. His heart pounded stupidly loud in his chest.

Gray's eyes were drawn from that smoldering gaze, to the chiseled muscles of Natsu's abdomen, and back again. His throat went dry as he tried to swallow down sudden apprehension. Natsu crawled up the bed without breaking eye contact, predatory and fierce. An unspoken threat was written across his features. Soon they were so close Gray was leaning back against his pillows as Natsu straddled his hips.

 _Natsu is on top of me._ Gray's breathing came in shallow pants.

"Ah.... What are you doing, Natsu?" His voice was small and uncertain.

A dragon's smile spread over Natsu's lips, a bearing of sharp teeth. He eyed Gray like a wolf sizing up a lamb. 

"A dragon does what it wants, takes what it wants." Natsu grabbed Gray's jaw, forcing his head left, then right. Gray let out a harsh breath. He was rock hard under those black eyes, the red of flames dancing within. "And this dragon wants his treasure."

Natsu grabbed Gray's wrists and pinned them over his head, crushing his lips against Gray's in a vicious kiss.

 _Natsu kissed me._ Heat ate up Gray's flesh.

He shifted his grip on Gray's wrists to his right hand and ran his left down Gray's neck and chest to pinch his nipple. Gray moaned at the contact, unconsciously grinding his hips up against Natsu and wishing there weren't layers of fabric between them. Natsu's tongue pushed into his mouth, not asking permission but demanding entrance.

 _Natsu's lips. Natsu's tongue._

His bare chest pressed into Gray's as he ground their hard lengths together, and Gray almost lost it then and there.

_Natsu's skin. Natsu's cock._

Gray began to struggle underneath Natsu, not wanting to embarrass himself by finishing in his boxers. A fierce kiss, a hot touch, and he was fighting the ache shooting up his flesh. How many times had he yearned for this very thing, Natsu's hard body and soft lips pressed against him? Yet he didn't want to want it to end so quickly. He tried to pull back.

"N-natsu, wait!" He mumbled into the other's mouth.

"Nnn-nnnm," he hummed back, "been waiting too long already..." Natsu argued, trailing his mouth over Gray's jaw to his neck where he began licking and sucking.

"I'm gonna- nngh..... gonna cum!" He pleaded, twisting underneath the fire wizard, trying to escape. Natsu pulled back and smiled gently at him. It was such a sharp contrast to his aggression so far. Emotions played openly across his features. Desire. Affection. Love. Then the gentle smile transformed into a villainous smirk.

"I want you to. I want to watch." Natsu palmed Gray's cock through his boxers as he pressed a hot mouth on his ear. "Come for me Gray." 

Gray was done for. His muscles tensed as his body curled in on itself, heat racing up his shaft as his eyes sought Natsu's.

"I l-love you, Natsu." He choked out, hanging on by a thread, trapped in Natsu's gaze again. Natsu smiled and pressed harder against him.

"I know." 

_I told Natsu I love him._ Gray's orgasm shot up his length, scorching and vicious. He jerked with a low moan-

Gray awoke, shooting up in bed with a gasp as he came in twitching spasms. Warm, thick fluid dripped under his boxers as he rolled to his side. Gray curled into himself, letting his hand drift to cup him cock as he shuddered out the last of his climax.  


He was all alone. Natsu was not here. No fire and no heat. Just the mess of his clothes and a single overstimulated tear rolling down his face. His breath came in sharp pants. Gray fought back a sob, biting down on his knuckles and refusing to make a sound. He would not give voice to the sorrow inside, the black hole that lived in his chest. Not today. Not right now.  
_Just a dream.  
You're so pathetic. Reduced to tears by a wet dream. How many times is it this week? You're unworthy to call yourself a wizard, let alone go after Natsu._

_Bam! Bam! Bam!_

Gray jumped up at the sound. Someone was knocking on his door. Loudly. He threw his legs over the side of the bed so his feet touched the cold stone. Grounding himself in the here and now. A deep sigh escaped as he buried his face in his hands. Whoever was at the door had the worst timing in history. Gray did not make a sound, hoping they would think he wasn't home.

"Graaaaaay! I can smell you in there. Open the door." 

Fuuuuuck. It was Natsu. _What the hell is he even doing here?_ Panic shot through him as he looked at the wet spot on his boxers. He'd just come all over himself dreaming about the Dragonslayer and now he was at the door. _Shit. Calm down, calm down. He won't know. Relax._

Gray threw open a drawer and quickly pulled on some pajamas. Patience was not Natsu's strong point. If he didn't open the door soon Natsu would probably knock it down and kick his ass for not answering fast enough. 

_Or maybe he would be worried about me. I am his guild mate. If I was here and not waking up something could be wrong. It wouldn't be weird to want to check on me.  
Bam! Bam! Bam!_

"Hey ice for brains, if you don't open up I'm going to kick this thing in and then smack you around for ignoring me!"

Gray rolled his eyes with another sigh as he pulled on a shirt. It was strange for him to wear one at home, but he felt guilty. As though covering his skin would better hide his feelings. Shield his flesh to protect his heart. Gray walked towards the door. He couldn't afford a new door. He needed to hurry.

"Hold on you bastard let me put on some clothes."

"Do you even own clothes?" 

"I own more clothes than you, you flame brained moron."

"Ice princess!"

"Matchstick-"

Gray stopped short as he threw open the door and took in Natsu. It staggered him for the briefest instant, as always. That crazy pink hair, those dark eyes always glowing with amusement. That stupid cocky grin that made Gray's chest ache. The strong, muscled body that made him ache somewhere... lower. He shook himself, wondering what Natsu saw in his face. Gray knew what he himself looked like, face flushed, eyes red, a sheen of sweat on his skin. His breathing was almost evened out, but not quite.

"What do you want Natsu? I was asleep." Gray asked in a carefully exasperated tone.

Natsu's eyes took Gray in slowly. That dragons nose sniffed the air, then he broke out into an uncharacteristically sly smile.

"Did we have a good dream, snowflake?" He asked in a wry voice. Gray's eyes widened as his heart raced. 

_I'm burning just for you, Snowflake. ___

He had forgotten about Natsu's sense of smell in the panic. Of course Natsu could smell his latent arousal. He tried to fight the blush forming on his cheeks. Gray let out a frustrated breath as he threw his arms up in the air.

"Seriously, Natsu, what is it? I can't deal with you right now." 

This was true, in its own way. Natsu just let out a bark of a laugh and smirked again.

"Gramps wants all the elemental mages at the guild. Some special job. Cana's gonna read her cards, figure out who needs to go. He sent me to come get you. I told him there's no way they'd need an ice princess, but he made me come anyway. Although..." Natsu glanced down briefly and grinned again. "Iron is technically an earth element, so Gajeel will be there, along with Wendy. With their noses? You might want to shower." 

Gray's fist flew before he even thought, straight at Natsu's face. Natsu ducked out of the way with a smile before trying to take out Gray's legs with a kick. The ice mage caught himself and used his momentum to throw a kick while blocking Natsu's fiery right hook with his arm. Natsu pulled his stomach in quickly to avoid the kick. Gray rolled up to his feet in a fighting stance while Natsu spun away and faced him. Gray's stood higher, arms up near his chest. A soldier ready to strike, solid like ice. Natsu's stance was lower, arms to the side. An animal ready to pounce, fluid like fire. His eyes glittered with delight, but he shook himself and stood up.

"I really would like to knock you around a little but Gramps said hurry. Erza also said she would smash my head in if I picked a fight with you. So hurry up." Natsu turned and headed towards the guild. As he departed he looked back over his shoulder at Gray. "Plus I don't want to get all close combat with you right now, if you know what I mean."

His lips curled up again as he turned away and sped up to avoid the attack he knew was coming. That fucking smirk would be the end of him. He flung some ice at Natsu's retreating back. He blocked it without even looking, laughing as he ran toward Fairy Tail.

"Idiot!" Gray spat the word as he went back inside and closed the door. When he leaned against it, it was as though he weighed a thousand pounds. 

_Idiot. I am the idiot here,_ Gray thought, hating himself. Natsu's face filled his mind, his expression from moments ago. Eyes alight with joy, ready for a fight. Fists clenched, breathing steady. Natsu always looked the most beautiful with the promise of violence etched in his features. Gray's hands shook as he sank down to the floor and buried his face in his knees. He listened to the emptiness of his house, silent and hollow now that Natsu was gone and Gray was alone.

A sob was wrenched out from deep in Gray's throat.

Alone.

Only then did Gray let the tears fall.


	2. Last Light

Natsu slowed to a walk as he got further away from Gray's house, smiling to himself. Natsu loved fighting with Gray, but he couldn't really lay into him right then, so it was better to high tail it back to the guild. A representative from the magic council was there waiting for Fairy Tail's elemental mages to assemble, along with the council's Oracle. It was a bad idea to keep them there longer than necessary, even for someone as reckless as Natsu. Still, that little scuffle had been a tease, and now Natsu's muscles were twitchy with the need to fight. They tensed and flexed, wanting to let fly with fists and feet and flame. Sure, he could throw down with someone else at the guild while they waited for the others but somehow it wasn't the same.

Gray knew Natsu's fighting better than anyone. The angles at which his fists fell. The speed of his legs as they shot out. Gray could look at Natsu's face and predict when he'd strike, or from which side his attack would come. Natsu could do the exact same thing with Gray, read him like a book. The movements of their muscles, the tempo of their breathing, which way their eyes darted. Their bodies spoke a language to each other that only they could truly understand. They had been battling each other so long, it became second nature. It made Gray so much harder to fight as an opponent. Natsu loved every moment of it.

He sighed as he walked, trying to shake the itch from his bones. 

_Gray had a wet dream._

Natsu had teased him about it of course. How could he not? Gray would have done the same. If he could have, anyway. Natsu's features drew up into a scowl. He had never even gotten hard, let alone had a wet dream. Jealousy soared through him, electric and sharp. Natsu would have given almost anything to know what that felt like. 

Igneel had told him about everything when he was young. He could remember sitting underneath him, Igneel's great wing sheltering him from the rain as they watched distant stars peeking through the clouds. 

_"You're too young for this, but you will need to know. You are a human, Natsu, and you are also a dragon. Dragon's have only one mate. When you are older, your instincts will draw you to them. Until then, you will not want another. Your body will sleep until you are ready. Your instincts will know your mate. They will take over, and you will claim your mate."_  
_"How?"_  
_When it's time, the dragon in you will know what to do. Once you claim your mate, both of you will be stronger. A mark will form on the palms of your hands. You will each be able to sense when the other is in danger, and will always be able to find them. A mate rights all wrongs. There's not time to teach you about all of it myself. The dragon in you will understand, will teach you everything you need to know to protect your mate."_  


_"What if they don't like me? What if they don't want to be my mate?"_  


_"They will. It's fated. You will each want the other, and no one else."_  


_"They don't have a choice?"_  


_"Their choice will be you, Natsu. It's not a matter of forcing their will, it's a matter of knowing what that will is going to be. Now sleep."_

Natsu had never liked that, his mate not having a choice. It made his insides twist, even at his young age. It had been awhile before Natsu had understood what Igneel had really been talking about. As he had gotten older and others his age began to experiment, Natsu felt only curiosity. He would hear guys talking about wanting girls and sex. The girls instead talked about feelings of love and romance. He thought he knew what they meant, but could not feel any of this himself. It was as though he was a spectator. Sure, girls hit on him, but he couldn't bring himself to lead them on, no matter how intrigued he was with the concept of love. Natsu felt nothing for them. Natsu loved his friends, his allies, but it was different.

For a long time, he took Igneel's word as fact, and didn't question them in the slightest. As he got older and older however, things started to change. Mages his age and even younger were sleeping together, making out in the guild, dating then breaking up. Natsu began to worry that something was wrong with him, that Igneel had known somehow that he would be impotent and just told him that story about dragons and mates so he would not think he was damaged. Broken.

Makarov caught him more than once sneaking into brothels to watch people have sex, dragging him out by his ear and promptly kicking his ass. Natsu felt like a freak. He had stroked himself bloody trying to get hard so many times over, crying as he struggled to get an erection, to make himself come. He just wanted to _see_ , to understand. Watching just made him feel worse, but he couldn't stop himself. As the women kissed and touched the men who came to their rooms, they sprang to life. Vital. Masculine. Strong. Natsu would look down at himself in disgust. 

If the price of being a dragon was to never fully be a man, he wasn't sure it was worth the cost. He fought enemies in battle countless times. As they lay broken and defeated at his feet, bitterness often rose to the surface to cloud his victory. Natsu could beat them. Break their bones. Burn their flesh. Yet when they returned to their daily lives, they could take a lover and lose themselves together. Have a family, a soft touch, a warm bed. Natsu could only sleep alone, hating his useless body. 

When he told Gramps about his problem, Makarov looked into it for him, with little success. There weren't many Dragonslayers to begin with, and most of them were around Natsu's age anyway. Firsthand experience was almost impossible to come by. Though there had been Dragonslayers in the past, there wasn't a lot written about them. When Gajeel joined the guild, Makarov had asked him about it, albeit without going into too much detail. The Iron Dragonslayer said Metalicana had also told him about dragons and their mates, but that each type of dragon was a little different. What was true for a fire dragon might not be for a sky dragon. Things that happened when iron dragons matured could be different from shadow dragons. There was no way to know anything for certain.

Natsu couldn't bring himself to mention it to Gajeel, despite how bitterly he craved the knowledge. That would mean admitting to Gajeel that he was impotent, a freak. Less than a man. What if Igneel's story was only a lie spun to comfort his child? He would never be able to look his guild mates in the eyes again. He would rather suffer and wonder at the truth.

When he smelled Gray's arousal, he had felt jealousy spike through his gut as usual, but also something else. He wondered what Gray's come looked like streaked across his abdomen. Natsu wanted to touch it, rub his fingers through it, smell it. Taste it. What would it be like? How would it feel? He'd never had these thoughts before, even when he'd seen another man's seed through the open windows of the brothel. 

_Fuck, what is wrong with me?_

Natsu was glad when he saw the guild up ahead. His thoughts were dark and crawling and strange. He needed to be pulled out of them. As he walked in, everyone started at him expectantly. Happy flew over to him, saying hello.

"Where's Gray?" Erza snapped, standing by the bar near Makarov.

"He's on his way. He had to change clothes." Natsu answered, distracted. When he thought of Gray changing clothes, he thought about wetness spreading over muscled flesh. He tried to shake himself out of.

"Did you start a fight with him, Natsu?" There was barely concealed rage in Erza's voice as she walked over to him. Mira cringed behind the bar as she washed mugs. 

"I didn't do anything! It's not my fault!"

Erza punched him in the shoulder and he took it with a flinch. He could've dodged it, but he knew better. The second one would be worse.

"A man takes his punishment!" Elfman shouted. Natsu rolled his eyes.

The magic council had sent two mages, both women. Their representative, Yuki, was an illusion mage. She had long purple hair with matching eyes, hard and unforgiving. They could all understand why they sent someone so severe. The magic council was not at all fond of Fairy Tail, and it rankled to be asking them for help. They would never have done so if their Oracle had not demanded it after her latest prophecy.

Everyone had heard of the dark mage causing chaos all over Fiore. He called himself Dorobo, the thief. He attacked elemental mages across the country, taking their abilities and leaving them to die as the magic ran rampant in their bodies with no outlet. The energy built up inside them until they began to seize and bleed through their eyes, noses, mouths. They died in agony as their magic killed them from inside out. No one Dorobo stole magic from survived for more than a few minutes, and attempts to save any of the victims had so far been futile. He had to be stopped, but only a wizard had any chance. When mage after mage fell in his wake, the magic council forbade anyone from going after him until their Oracle could determine who might be able to defeat him. 

The Oracle attemted to divine the answers, and was partially successful. The magic council was none too happy to hear the words that came out of her mouth in a dozen voices at once, as her eyes flashed white and she floated off the ground.

_" You must go to the guild of fairies. The daughter of their beast will lead you with fortune. Her light will shine, and the fairies will go forth. One will fail and one will fall, and then they will take back from the thief what is theirs, and he will shudder in their wake. "_

The guild of fairies was obviously Fairy Tail, and the daughter of their beast was most likely Cana. The Oracle had decreed that they would travel to Magnolia, have Cana do a reading with her cards, and hopefully be rid of Dorobo.

The Oracle sat before them now, young and tiny, with long white curls flowing down her back. She perched on the bar with Makarov, laughing and drinking as Yuki glared at her in disgust. She had insisted on coming with Yuki, but would not say why. No one in their right mind would argue with an Oracle. The tiny mage had taught Cana some new magic that would show them who could beat the elemental thief.

The guild chattered away as they waited for Gray to arrive, the only elemental mage missing. Natsu looked around the hall. Juvia was there talking to Wendy at a nearby table. Gajeel sat at the bar with an arm around Levy. Lucy was talking with Mira. She could summon Aquarius, and no one wanted to take chances. Macao and his son Romeo, both fire mages, played a card game while they grew impatient. 

Natsu sat with Lucy by the bar and proceeded to stuff his face. As he polished off the last of his food, Gray came through the door. Natsu looked up at him, struggling not to picture him in the throes of ecstasy and failing. He didn't have a chance to feel awkward, however, as the guild descended on him without mercy. Juvia didn't even get in a single 'Gray-sama'.

"About time Gray!"

"Change your clothes? You never even wear any!"

"You're making the council wait! They hate us enough as it is you jerk!"

The rabble continued as he strode towards the bar where all the elemental wizards had gathered. Natsu struggled not to stare, then wondered why it took so much effort. He really was losing it today.

"Oi! Shut up! I'm here now, so let's get on with it!" Gray wanted out of there, and away from Natsu, as quickly as possible. After what happened today, he had zero confidence in his ability to act naturally.

"Are you giving the orders, now?" Yuki snapped. Gray held his hands up in surrender, eyes wide. 

"Uh no, never." 

"Shut up Gray, get up here." Erza said with a growl.

"I'm standing right here!"

"Gray!"

"Erza!"

"QUIET!" Makarov's shouts silenced everyone.  


"Gray, Natsu, Juvia, Lucy, Gajeel, Wendy, Macao, Romeo. Up front." Everyone shuffled forward into a loose semi circle about ten feet in front of the table Cana sat on, cards spread out before her. "Cana get going before they start fighting again."

All eyes were on her as she put her hands over her cards. Cana closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Card magic! Last Light!" 

Purple light emanated from the cards as they lifted from the table and flew around her body in a tornado of magic. They moved faster and faster, and the light increased in intensity. They rotated, increasing their speed exponentially. The walls of the guild began to shake from the spells power. Tables shimmied back and forth and napkins blew off the counters, caught in the whirlwind. Everyone shifted uneasily, unable to take their eyes from the card mage. She thrust out her hand, a card tucked between her fingers.

"Shine!" 

The light strobed, then went out, bathing the guild in darkness. Suddenly, Gray and Natsu both stood on separate pillars of their light. The magic pulled them in towards Cana, dragging them across the floor with a scraping sound. They both fought in instinctively, trying to escape the magic's hold to no avail. When they were side by side in front of the cards, the Oracle floated off the bar and began to speak. Dozens of voices combined in eerie symphony, and the glow of her eyes was the same shade of purple as the light pillars holding Gray and Natsu captive.

"Ice will burn and fire freeze. Ice will fail and fire fall. Death brings life, and only you bring peace." 

The magic blew out of the room in a gust as the lamps came back on. Natsu and Gray jerked backwards as they were released from the spells hold. They glanced at each other dubiously, and it was Gajeel who broke the silence.

"This is a disaster. Magnolia is screwed."


	3. First Class

Gray sat on the train platform waiting for Natsu, eyeing Erza warily as she paced. Natsu never arrived for the train on time. His motion sickness made traveling hell for him and as a result he was not exactly eager to climb into any form of transportation. Erza should know this by now, as Lucy had reminded her repeatedly. Lucy sat on nearby bench picking at her fingernails. 

Gray remembered when Natsu had first brought Lucy to the guild. It was like a knife in his chest. Deep down, he knew he was already in love with Natsu, but he refused to accept it. Then Natsu showed up with Lucy, a beautiful blonde, larger than life. With her celestial magic and outgoing personality, the two were perfect for each other. Everyone in the guild thought it was just a matter of time before they got together. Gray wanted to hate Lucy with every fiber of his being. He was a coward. He wouldn't even admit the truth of his feelings, not even to himself. Lucy was brave, and honest, and spoke what she felt straight from her heart. He couldn't hate her, no matter how hard he tried. Yet every time he saw them together it was salt in his wounds. What Lucy did, just by being near Natsu, was open Gray's eyes to the truth. He felt grateful to her now, especially since the two genuinely seemed to care for each other only as friends. The celestial wizard forced him to be more honest. Even if he did not have the courage to tell Natsu the truth, once Lucy showed up, he stopped lying to himself. 

Gray was in love with Natsu. He realized he had been since he was barely out of childhood, even if he'd been too young to understand what it was he was feeling.  


The desire to be close to his friend, more than any other.  


The worry that ate at his chest when Natsu was gone too long on a mission.  


The fear that tightened his throat when Natsu stood against a strong enemy, and the exultation Gray felt when he saw him triumph, time and time again, against impossible odds. As he watched him fight to inevitable victory, a voice down inside whispered, _That's my Natsu._  


Then there was the fierce jealousy that took Gray by surprise when Natsu spent a lot of his time with others. Gray did not want to share him, he wanted Natsu all to himself. Gray wanted to possess him. Still, he didn't fully understand what it all meant.

Then, Gray had his first real _dream_ about Natsu. God, he had been so fucking confused. Gray had cleaned up and stormed to the guild. He found Natsu and immediately started beating the hell out of him. The fight went gone on so long, Makarov and Erza had to break them up, which was a rare thing. They usually let them fight until they wore themselves out, but Gray was out for blood. He dislocated Natsu's shoulder and sprained his own wrist. Gramps had taken Gray aside afterwards and asked him what had gotten into him. Gray just shook his head. He did not know what had gotten into him. 

All he knew right then was that he wanted it out.

Natsu simply called him an asshole and demanded a rematch, all with a smile on his face. 

"That was a good one," he'd said. _Fucking Natsu._

When Gray stopped fighting what was going on inside him, confusion turned to frustration. _Longing._ It became a serious struggle to hide his feelings at first. He would catch himself staring, then blush furiously. Without thinking about it he would constantly ask the others where Natsu was, or what job Natsu was on. Looking at it from the outside, it seemed obvious. He often wondered how no one had noticed before. Natsu was not the most observant of people, but the guild was filled with watchful eyes and sharp intellects. Many nights Gray had lain awake in fear, sure that someone would figure him out and expose his secret. Then his best friend would hate him, and he doubted he would see much of Natsu anymore. Gray wasn't even certain he would be able to stay in the guild if that happened, suffering looks of pity and disgust. The thought of leaving Fairy Tail left him hollow inside. Never fight with his guild mates again? Never see Natsu's smile, or hear his laugh? It was unthinkable. No one could know. Especially not Natsu.

Lucy sighed in irritation, but not because Natsu was late. Neither she nor Erza was very happy about being left behind on this particular job. Even Happy had been forbidden to go. They were uneasy. The five of them were a team and to be split up for such a dangerous mission did not sit right with them. Gray was nervous going on this mission with Natsu, without the others. Not only did Doroba pose a serious threat, but Gray would be forced to endure the train ride to a village north of Magnolia, as well as a night in a hotel alone with Natsu, before facing the dark wizard. Usually Lucy and Erza were there to draw attention from Gray, a welcome distraction from the emotions that Natsu brought out of him. This time, he was on his own. 

Gray hoped he could keep it together, defeat Dorobo, and return without incident. The gnawing sensation he felt in his gut told him this was probably to much to ask for. 

His muscles began to tense with stress as he looked up and saw a familiar pink head trudging towards the group. Natsu held Happy in his arms like an infant. The cat was pouting.

"But Natsu it's not fair! I'm not even a person! I don't count! I should be able to come too!" Natsu ruffled the exceed's fur affectionately.

"Happy we've been over this. It's too dangerous. You can stay with Lisanna until I get back."

"I don't eat much! I'm very small! If it gets too scary I'll fly away!"

"No, Happy."

"But Natsu-"

"Enough, Happy." Natsu snapped. Everyone looked at him in shock. Natsu never spoke to Happy like that. Happy looked hurt, burying his face in Natsu's scarf. Natsu sighed. "Look I'm sorry but you just can't go. We'll be back before you know it. Everything will be just fine." 

He squeezed Happy tight before releasing him. Happy flew over to Erza, a deep frown on his face. Natsu seemed sad to let him go.

"Okay guys, time to go." Erza ordered as Gray and Natsu shuffled towards the train car. Gray could not even look at Natsu, who kept his eyes at his feet. Erza looked at the pair like a mother sending her children off for the first day of school.

"Listen, forget about the Oracle, and the prophecy and all that. You are two of the strongest mages of Fairy Tail, and this is a job like any other. Go find Dorobo, kick his ass, and make the guild proud." She paused before continuing. "And if I find out you two got into a fight on this mission, I will smash your heads in."

They both nodded half-heartedly as everyone said their goodbyes. Natsu and Gray climbed aboard and found their sleeper car, shutting themselves in with a soft click.

The pair stowed their gear in the overhead compartments and sat down opposite one another, finally meeting each others eyes. Natsu looked tired, with shadows under his red rimmed eyes. Gray was overwhelmed with the urge to touch him, push the hair back from his face and run his fingers down Natsu's check. He ransacked his brain for a snide remark or insult and came up empty. 

_I am fucking this up already._ The train hadn't even started moving yet.

"Ah this sucks. I hate trains." Natsu spat, running his hands back and forth through his hair quickly. Gray felt an irrational surge of envy. He wanted to touch his hair, too. Natsu looked at Gray suspiciously.

"You're awfully quiet, snowflake." Natsu observed Gray with eyes that saw too much for his liking. Natsu had a million nicknames for him, but when they were alone together, Gray noticed he tended to call him snowflake. Now that he considered it, he couldn't remember Natsu ever calling him that in front of their guild mates. These thoughts did strange things to his insides, twisting them in ways they shouldn't. Natsu undoubtedly thought nothing of it, yet Gray found himself wanting to hear it again.

_So pathetic._

Gray was frozen, his throat gone dry. 

_Say something. Insult him. Anything._

Still, faced with that intense gaze, his mind went blank. Natsu furrowed his brow. As he opened his mouth to speak, the train shot forward. Natsu put his hand to his lips and moaned. He hadn't eaten anything since yesterday, but his stomach still twisted in protest. He threw his head out the window and dry heaved. Nothing came up, but the spasms wouldn't stop. This is where, on a normal job with the girls, Gray would start taunting his guild mate about his weakness. Instead Gray clenched his fists to keep from rubbing Natsu's back to soothe him. 

Suddenly the train car lurched and the window slammed down with a vicious smack on Natsu's head.

"Fuck!"

He pulled back too quickly, already dizzy with motion sickness and lack of food. Natsu stumbled over his feet, clutching his head, and slammed face first into the wall. He was unconscious, and he was going down. Without a second thought Gray was in motion. His arms went around Natsu from behind and they both fell to the floor in a heap. Gray was in a sitting position with Natsu's back pressed into his stomach and chest, knees folded up on either side of the knocked out mage. A pink head rested just below his chin. Gray's breathing picked up.

 _Natsu's in my lap._

Yeah, after a blow to the head on a moving train. Not what Gray had in mind. Still, his body did not seem to care. He carefully arranged Natsu's arms and legs into a more comfortable position. That hit had nothing on Erza, but he had already been woozy with motion sickness, maybe it would do the trick. He could wake Natsu up when they arrived. He fisted his hands again to keep them from wrapping around Natsu's chest in an embrace. Gray's conscience reminded him that he should probably pick Natsu up and put him on one of the sleeper benches. Even as he thought this, he pressed his face into those pink locks and breathed in.

_Natsu's scent._

He smelled warm somehow, not quite the cinnamon smoke of Gray's dreams but something akin to it. Spices. Fire. Gray gazed in front of him, admiring all the layers of pink. From far away it seemed to be all one color, but this close? There were different shades mixed in, lighter, darker. He had only ever looked at Natsu this way when he watched him sleep out on jobs a few times, and never so close. Gray had always been afraid someone would wake up and catch him staring at Natsu's sleeping face but he could not stop himself. 

Natsu wasn't groaning in his sleep, or twitching restlessly. Even when Erza punched him out for a trip, he did not sleep peacefully. It was strange. Gray wondered if he had really hurt himself.

_With a head that hard, I think he'll be fine._

His mind was sure to come up with quality mockery when it was too late. But really, he'd never seen Natsu this still on a train. Gray's hand came up on its own, fingers running through Natsu's hair. He tried to sear the moment into his memory. The way Natsu smelled. The feel of Natsu's back pressed against him. The tempo of his breathing as he rested. Gray didn't want to forget a single detail. That familiar ache in his chest came forward with a vengeance. Natsu shifted in his sleep, turning his face to the side to rest fully on Gray's chest. He inhaled deeply, and sighed in his sleep.

_Oh fuck._

Gray was hard as stone. He was surprised it hadn't happened sooner, honestly. He tried to rearrange himself without disturbing Natsu, but there wasn't a lot he could do when they were pressed against each other so closely. Natsu moved again, pushing harder against his chest and shoving his nose up to Gray's neck. He sniffed hard, like an animal after prey. A guttural moan came out of his mouth. It was the sexiest thing that Gray had ever heard. His cock shot harder somehow, defying physics and reason. Gray happened to glance down, his eyes widening in shock, and his mouth began to water. 

Natsu was hard too.

................................................................

Natsu drifted up towards consciousness slowly. In his nose was the most delicious scent he had ever encountered. It smelled like pine, and snow, and..... _excitement._ Natsu liked it. A lot. Floating on the edges of awareness, he buried his face in the smell and moaned. Natsu felt heat between his legs like never before. It throbbed and pulsed, and his hips thrust forward of their own accord. Natsu kept swimming towards the surface. He needed to wake up, he didn't want to miss this. Sleepily, he reached down towards his thighs, needing pressure there for some reason. His hand brushed against his erection, and he grabbed himself with a sigh as he pulled in more sweet, snow scented air.

_Hard._ He was hard. 

Natsu shot out of sleep, leaning forward with a gasp. He looked down in disbelief at his erection. Then the nausea hit him, full force, and he began to wither.

_No! Wait!_

Natsu began to panic. The first hard on of his life, after so long, and motion sickness was robbing him of it. He leaned back where he was before, willing it to come back. Pine and winter and want filled his nose. His cock sprang to life again.

"Natsu?"

Natsu jumped at Gray's voice. He had forgotten where he was, what he was doing. Suddenly he was aware he was sitting between Gray's legs, leaning against him. With a raging hard on. He shot forward again, intending to scramble from Gray's lap. When the urge to vomit returned, however, he sat back in defeat.

_What the fuck is going on..._

Natsu found it strange, but Gray made no move to get up. 

"What happened?" Natsu asked, pulling his scarf off and laying it in his lap to cover himself. 

"The window slammed into your head, then you face planted into the wall. It was impressive. I caught you when you fell." Gray's voice was rough and full of gravel.

"Are you wearing some weird cologne? Something that smells like pine?"

"Cologne? No, what the hell? Are you saying I stink?" Gray was unnaturally still, expression blank.

"No, it smells wonderful." Natsu cringed at his answer, but still turned his face more towards Gray. He couldn't help it. "I mean, I don't feel sick at all. I feel good. But when I sit up it comes back again. You use some new soap?"

"No. You have the strongest nose of anyone I know, haven't I always smelled this way?" Natsu pondered this.

"Not exactly. It's different somehow. I can't explain it. But I don't feel sick when I smell it." _It makes me hard. Gray's scent. What the fuck._ "How much shit are you gonna give me if I want to stay this way for the rest of the train ride?" Natsu asked hesitantly, dreading Gray's response. What was he supposed to tell him? _Oh, I smelled you and not only am I not motion sick, but I'm hard as a rock. Which has never happened to me before, even though I'm twenty fucking years old._ He waited for his guild mate to shove him off and laugh as he puked his guts out again.

"I won't make fun of you." Gray paused. "To the others. But when it's just us I will give you so much hell about this."

"Jerk." 

Natsu made an exasperated sound as he started to lean forward, but Gray stopped him. His arm snaked around Natsu's chest and pulled him back against him.

"Wait, it's okay, I won't say anything. I don't want you to be sick. It's fine."

Natsu sat back, mind spinning in wild circles. He waited for Gray to pull back his arm, but he left it wrapped around Natsu. They rode in uneasy silence, afraid to speak and shatter the peace. The train ate up the miles, racing towards conflict and danger. For now, there was only the smell of pine and sound of their breaths.


	4. Calm

The mages sat at the hotel's restaurant in silence, Natsu putting down a staggering amount of food as usual. They had left Magnolia in mid-afternoon, but the sun had set now. Natsu was usually overjoyed to get off of any transportation, but after what had happened he couldn't help but feel a stab of disappointment as the vehicle slowed to a stop. After disembarking from the train without a word, they made their way to the hotel that had been booked for them. The Oracle had insisted on making all of their travel arrangements, and no one was going to question her word. Natsu thought that she probably had more power than anyone on the council, but having eerily accurate prophecy would do that he supposed. She had insisted the council pay all of their expenses on such a dangerous job, and so Natsu would take full advantage. The food at this hotel was delicious, but more than that with a face full of food, Natsu did not have to talk. Gray and Natsu had not said anything to each other since the train, and the quiet was awkward and loaded with tension. Natsu began to feel the effects of his previous sleepless night. He'd been unable to calm his mind, thoughts running in circles. Dorobo. His teammates who he had to leave behind on this mission. And Gray, twitching and moaning in climax. Natsu had screwed up, catching Gray like that. All night long he tried to banish the images from his mind. When the sun rose that morning, Natsu felt the light illuminate everything that was wrong with him, the indifferent rays pointing out his weaknesses. 

When they were both done eating, they glanced up at each other. Gray held Natsu's gaze for a long moment before speaking.

"God, I'm tired. I didn't sleep at all last night." 

"Me neither. I guess the Oracle knew what she was talking about. I wouldn't want to go fight Dorobo like this." 

"Definitely not. You finished?"

Natsu nodded in agreement as they stood up and grabbed their bags, heading up the stairs towards their room. Gray unlocked the door and they filed inside.

"Some Oracle." Gray spat. 

There was only one bed in this room. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. Why would she book a room with only one bed? Distrust scratched at the back of his mind. That bed looked like a threat to Natsu. Sure, he and Gray had slept in a single bed together so many times that it wasn't even worth mentioning. When they went on a job and shared a room, they used to fight about it. Neither would win, and both would end up in the bed anyway, refusing to give an inch. Nowadays they knew the futility of an argument about sleeping arrangements. They didn't bat an eye. Usually.

Today was anything but usual for Natsu. Still, it would seem weird if he brought it up, so Natsu kept quiet. He realized he was still standing in front of the door. Gray had already stripped off his shirt and was washing up in the bathroom, so Natsu put his gear on the floor and kicked off his sandals. He really was tired. Maybe it wouldn't be an issue and he would be out as soon as his head hit the pillow. Gray stepped out of the bathroom wiping his face with a towel, and Natsu's eyes followed a stray drop of water as it slid down his chest and across the scar on his abdomen. He forced his eyes up to Gray's, who looked at him warily, like a dog you suspect might be rabid. Natsu wordlessly pushed past Gray into the bathroom and shut the door as his face flamed. Nothing would be easy on him today. 

Natsu finished washing up and then just sat on the bathroom floor, face in his hands. _Shit._ He had gotten an erection today. All his life he'd done everything trying to get hard. Touching himself raw. Aphrodisiacs. Spells. Herbs. Drugs. He'd even tried hiring a prostitute to jack him off, thinking if it was someone else, a woman, maybe it would work. But nothing ever did. Then today, pressed into Gray's chest, breathing in that cool winter smell... Natsu pulled at his hair, head between his knees. _Get a fucking grip, Natsu._ Thinking about Gray now did odd things to his chest. It felt like it was stretching, too small to fit everything inside anymore. Tight. Aching. His thoughts drifted back to that drop of water running down Gray's skin. He'd wanted to lick it up. _This is bad. Shit._

"Natsu, I'm turning off the light, okay? I'm dead on my feet." Natsu jumped guiltily.

"O-okay. Me too. Be there in a sec." _Be there in a sec? Like he cares. Shut up, you idiot. Get it together._

Natsu splashed some more water on his face and gathered his courage. When he opened the door, he was thankful the room was dark. Natsu had the eyes of a dragon. He could see in the dark as well as any night predator, but could not be seen. If it was really too dark, and even his keen eyes couldn't see, he could always use his flames as a guide. It was not too dark for him in the room, however, and he could easily make out Gray's form on the bed. Natsu did not know if he was asleep yet, but he was still, his breathing even. The blankets were pushed over to Natsu's side. Gray hardly ever used them, and always gave them to Natsu to cover himself with. When Natsu considered it, he realized it was pretty thoughtful. He could've just gone to sleep on top of them and let Natsu fend for himself. Looking back over the years, Gray had always done this when they shared a bed, made sure to give the bedding to his guild mate. His chest stretched strangely again at the thought.

Natsu headed over to the bed and with a deep breath he climbed in beside Gray, pulling the blankets over himself. Natsu wasn't cold, he just needed to cover up. He felt too... exposed. The bed was comfortable, but Natsu wished he was outside under the stars, where he could lose himself in the infinite sky. It made him think of Igneel, and a time where he belonged to someone. He had Fairy Tail and his guild mates, but it wasn't quite the same. He had been Igneel's child, the most critical thing in the fire dragon's life. After Igneel left, he found his Fairy Tail family, but he'd never again had that connection. Being _the only one_ to someone, not one of many. He turned towards Gray and amended his thoughts. Natsu could give up his stars if it meant he could look at Gray's sleeping face instead. _Gray._ With Gray next to him, and no one there to intrude, he let his thoughts have free reign. Natsu was tired of fighting them. 

He pressed his face close to Gray's hair and inhaled. _Oh God._ As the scent of pine and ice filled him up, he felt himself stir again. Natsu eased in, running his nose through the inky strands. He wanted to touch himself, but for his entire life that had led to nothing but pain and disappointment. Negative reinforcement made him hesitate, but tonight seemed different. It felt sacrilegious, but he couldn't stop. Natsu reached into his pants and grasped himself. _Fuck. Gray._ He was hard again, incredibly so. He had seen his erection earlier, had felt it swell and throb through his clothes, but had not been able to touch it. He understood now. Nothing felt this perfect. Not his hardest earned victory, or the most delicious food he'd ever eaten. Not a pile of Jewels after a hard mission. Nothing. He gave a tentative stroke and tried unsuccessfully to bite back a moan.

"Nnngggh."

Natsu's lungs were full of Gray's scent, and he felt the warmth of Gray's skin on his face. He couldn't remember ever feeling this good. Natsu moved his hand slowly, up and down, trying to memorize the feeling of his cock in his hand.

"Haah...." 

His breath came in ragged pants as his tempo increased. Fuck, it was pure bliss. He knew he needed to be quiet, or risk Gray waking up, but his self control was nowhere to be seen. Natsu was twenty years old. He'd never touched himself like this. Though he could get hard, that didn't mean he could finish. Natsu wanted to know. He wanted to know _bad._ Pleasure shot up his spine as he jerked and twitched. _Gray._ His hand flew up and down, faster, harder. Natsu reached down with his other hand to cup his cup his balls. His body curled in on itself involuntarily. 

"Nnnngh, fuck... _Gray..._ " 

Natsu was so lost in himself, he didn't notice the change in Gray's scent that signaled the ice mage was awake. Awake and _aroused._

"Gray..."

 

.................................................................

 

Gray had fallen asleep almost instantly. Now, soft sounds and a gentle rocking pulled him into wakefulness. Gray could feel Natsu's weight in the bed beside him, close, comforting and familiar. He was with Natsu and all was right with the world, his sleepy mind whispered to him. He could feel Natsu's breath on the back of his neck. It felt wonderful. As he woke more fully, he became of aware of low noises, right in his ear.

"Nnngggh."

Natsu moaned. Was he having a nightmare? Gray wanted to comfort him, but was not sure Natsu would welcome being woken up because of a bad dream. He could hear Natsu's reaction even now. _"What am I, a child?"_

"Haah..." 

With Natsu's mouth so close to his ear, Gray knew these were not the sounds of a nightmare. More like pleasure. Gray felt the gentle rocking of the bed, and his dazed mind snapped with awareness. _Oh my God._ Natsu was _masturbating_. In bed. Next to Gray. He was hard in an instant. He wanted to touch himself, stroke his cock, finish in time with Natsu, but he dared not move or Natsu might know he was awake. He wanted to hear what kind of sounds he made when he came. Better yet, he wanted Natsu to come on him, mark him with his seed. He shuddered at the mere thought. Natsu's mouth was searing next to Gray's skin.

Gray had not even seen Natsu with an erection until today, and this was not for a lack of trying, he was ashamed to admit. If Gray woke up before everyone else on a job, he often glanced over at where Natsu slept, looking for the telltale signs of a morning hard on. He had done this countless times, and yet Natsu was never hard. Ever. Gray had wood almost every morning, so he had always thought it was strange that Natsu did not ever seem to. Maybe Dragonslayers were different. He wanted to see Natsu's arousal, even just through his clothes. Now that he had seen it, well... curiosity killed the cat. Or Gray, if he ever got his wish. Natsu was truly glorious freak of nature. Now Natsu was stroking himself right next to Gray. His own cock ached. His mouth watered, wanting to take Natsu's length inside it. His hands itched to stroke him. Gray could not decide if he was in heaven or hell.

"Nnnngh, fuck... _Gray..._ "

Gray's world stopped turning, and he was pretty sure his heart had exploded in his chest. He was okay with that. Had Natsu really just called his name as he pleasured himself? Maybe Gray had finally lost it. He was imagining things.

"Gray..."

Gray let out a harsh breath. He was frozen with indecision. His heartbeat thundered so loud in his chest he was sure Natsu's keen ears could hear it. _Turn over and touch him. Kiss him. Stroke him._ Yet what if Natsu pushed him away? Gray didn't know if he could handle the rejection. He really was in hell now, but the soundtrack was beautiful. Natsu seemed like he was getting close, and for some reason it seemed vital not to disturb him. _Natsu coming, pressed up against your back._ A whine escaped Gray's lips at the thought. Natsu froze and went silent, sniffing the air in a way that let Gray know he was scenting. Gray felt him turn away, and it sounded like he was trying to calm his breathing. He was absolutely still, probably hoping with everything he was that Gray had not just caught him touching himself while calling his name. _Ah, I screwed up._ Gray felt like a child watching their balloon soar away into the sky, irretrievable. There was no way to get back that moment. He had wasted the chance of a lifetime, and now he was cursing himself.

It was an effort to calm his thoughts. _Now is not the time for this. We have to face Dorobo tomorrow. He has killed at least twenty elemental mages._ With thoughts of death and and battle in his mind, he realized he was right not to have reached out to Natsu. Embracing Natsu, or confessing his feelings, would throw them both off their game in battle the next day. Their heads would be reeling, one way or the other. His stupidity could have gotten both of them killed, and his heart clenched at the thought. After this fight however, Fairy Tail, as well as Natsu and Gray, would be heavily rewarded. It wouldn't be necessary to go out on jobs for awhile. Natsu's voice calling his name played on repeat in his head, and his resolve clicked into place.

_After we fight Dorobo tomorrow, I will tell Natsu the truth._


	5. Storm

The woods were eerily silent as Natsu and Gray wound their way through neglected pathways and overgrown trails. Storm clouds roiled overhead. Natsu had been skeptical of the magic council's information regarding where Dorobo was supposed to be. He didn't trust that little white haired Oracle, but from what he had heard of the dark mage, this seemed like the sort of place he would hide.

He stole elemental abilities; water, fire, air, earth, and aspects of these elements, like ice and iron. Surrounded by trees and rocky formations, lightning flashing in the sky, the earth was truly reigning here. After picking their way through some dense brush, Natsu was glad when they came onto relatively open ground. He'd had been nervous about heading out that day. He didn't fear his enemy, but the awkward silent trip ahead of him.

When they got underway, everything went quiet. They glanced at each other often, communicating silently in the way soldiers can. There was danger lurking nearby, both could sense it. Natsu's ears reached out into the forest, eyes scanning through the trees. He moved in front of Gray, trying to scent what lay ahead. Gray followed after him, checking behind them, making sure nothing took them by surprise.

There were no animals, not even birds flying overhead. The only sounds were of leaves rustling underfoot as they crept forward and the crash of thunder overhead. Natsu sniffed hard, then crouched down and waited for Gray to reach him. 

"I smell him up there. Has to be him. It smells like... like everything. Water and dirt and fire and wind and rocks and grass. My nose is useless now, but he's close." Natsu spoke fast and low.

"Just him?"

"I think so."

"Okay then. Just like we planned." Gray would play defense and distraction, throwing long ranged attacks. Natsu would hit hard and dirty up close, his specialty. Dorobo only killed mages by taking abilities, and only elements. The few mages who had watched their friends die at his hands had told the council about his magic. He always attacked with the element opposite his opponent. His regular attacks were not very strong, but he was fast and agile. To observers, it seemed like he was toying with his enemies before throwing his finishing spell, Nottoru.

Nottoru was not as fast as some of his other spells, but could change direction and follow the target. It busted through shields and wards and magic circles. Never had Nottoru been cast and a life not been lost. There were no misfires. The few witnesses described the stance Dorobo took when readying the spell. It was the same each time. Natsu would be ready.

Gray nodded seriously.

"Okay. Let's go." Gray moved to crest the hill. Natsu put a hand on his chest to stay him.

"Gray, wait."

"What is it?" Gray met Natsu's eyes. He looked more serious than Gray had ever seen him. Natsu kept his hand on Gray's chest and furrowed his brow before speaking.

"Be careful." Gray mirrored the expression of worry. Natsu was waiting for a response. A burst of thunder exploded through sky. Ominous. Threatening.

"You too." 

Natsu nodded, and worry transformed into sharp focus. Together they climbed over the rise.

They stopped atop the hill and Dorobo stood in the clearing, obviously waiting for them. He wore long green robes with a tangle of medallions at his neck. Natsu's dragon whispered to him as he glanced at the largest one. _Necromancer._ He narrowed his gaze. Dorobo had bright green eyes that seemed to glow with a light of their own. His long black hair was streaked with gray, but his face looked young, ageless. In his hand was a large wooden staff with an opalescent lacrima on one end. He smiled at them, and without thinking Natsu found himself stepping in front of Gray and growling. Dorobo's smile grew larger, a cat with mice in hand.

"Oh that tiny little minx. She said fire mage and ice mage, not Dragonslayer and Devil Slayer. This does complicate things. I was looking forward to taking some more fire today, but since I can only take your flames and not your dragon aspect, I guess I'll have to make do with your friends ice instead."

Natsu's growling increased in volume. _Dragon aspect._ No one but Igneel, Wendy and Gajeel had ever referred to Natsu's dragon qualities that way. How did Dorobo know so much about Dragonslayers? But that wasn't even the real issue here. Dorobo had been targeting fire mages lately and Natsu had expected to be the one in his cross-hairs. Now it seemed he was after Gray, and that pissed Natsu off. 

Gray glanced at Natsu. He seemed positively feral. Gray looked on in shock as scales broke out on Natsu's face and arms. He was entering Dragon Force before the battle even began? Natsu's teeth seemed longer, sharper. He bared them at Dorobo like a rabid beast. 

"Natsu?"

Natsu looked at Gray for the barest of instances. Gray saw red flames dancing in his eyes before Natsu put himself more squarely between his ally and his enemy. 

Natsu was not home right now. Gray's throat grew tight as Dorobo laughed.

"Oh my, but that is interesting. They send children to face me who can't even face themselves. Let's get on with this."

Without warning, Natsu launched himself at Dorobo, fists full of flames and face twisted with rage. The wizard wanted to hurt Gray? Thought he would take Gray's magic? Over Natsu's dead body.

"Natsu!"

Natsu did not answer, did not even speak as he and the mage squared off. He threw kicks and punches as Dorobo blocked and dodged. He was _fast._ Natsu's right fist flew at the wizards face. Dorobo brought up his staff to block it and swung the other end around towards Natsu's gut, but brought up his knee to take the impact. It knocked him back a few steps but he managed to keep his feet. As the tempo of the fight increased, Natsu's fire crept from his fists up his arms. Natsu did not give Dorobo enough time to draw on any magic; he threw attack after attack without mercy. Gray needed to help his guild mate, but the two were a blur of motion. Lightning fast attacks and close quarters combat meant that any attack Gray threw could hit Natsu if he didn't time it perfectly.

Gray raised his arms and took a steadying breath. This was Natsu, after all. He'd been watching him fight nearly his whole life. No one knew Natsu's body as well as Gray, not even Natsu himself. Each shift of his feet, the way his hips pivoted, the angle of his punches... they spoke to Gray without words. A language of flesh that only the two of them spoke. Gray only needed to watch and wait. Natsu threw a right hook, which Dorobo blocked, but Natsu followed with his left knee, straight into Dorobo's stomach. The mage doubled over with a sharp exhale, causing Natsu to take a step back, ready to follow with a punch.

"Ice Make Ice Geyser!" 

Gray slammed the ground in front of him and spikes of ice shot up from the earth under Dorobo. He avoided the worst of the attack but caught some of the spikes in his right leg. Natsu saw him stagger and took the opening to slam his waiting fist into his face. The dark mage lost his footing and went down to one knee. 

"Ice Make Prison!" 

Gray lifted his arms into the air and a cage of ice surrounded Dorobo. The magic council wanted Dorobo alive if at all possible, and even if they hadn't, Fairy Tail mages didn't kill their enemies. Not if it could be avoided. But Natsu... his face was vicious and his attacks merciless. Gray had never seen him fight with such an expression. If he let Natsu keep going after him, he might kill him. Gray didn't want that on his friend's conscience. Dorobo stood and looked at Gray like one would look at a small child who'd done something mischievous but adorable. A snap of his fingers, and Gray's ice dissolved around him.

"You'll have to do better than that, little ice-ling."

Dorobo shot a ball of bright white magic at Gray. As it arced towards him Natsu closed in on his enemy once more. When he swung his fists to strike, he was blown backwards by a shockwave. Dorobo had put up a ward.

"Ice Make Shield!"

Gray threw up a layer of ice to block the magic. It wasn't Nottoru, but he still didn't feel like eating a huge energy blast. The spell hit Gray's shield, and shattered it into a thousand pieces before crashing into him. He flew backwards, slamming into a tree and collapsing to the ground. Gray drew up onto his knees, spitting blood onto the dirt. _Fuck._ Natsu was back on his feet, and he looked furious.

"Fire Dragon Roar!"

Flames shot from Natsu's mouth, hitting the magicians wards with a crackling sound. It held at first, but then the shield began to sizzle and groan. After a few moments, the shield exploded around him, but before the fire enveloped him Dorobo began spinning his staff. It twisted faster and faster, blowing Natsu's flames away with a strong wind. Natsu spared a glance at Gray, who was on his feet, but wobbling slightly after taking such a big hit. As Natsu watched blood trickle out of his mouth, his face contorted with rage. _He hurt Gray._ Rationality drained out of him, replaced with unthinking fury. Dorobo swung his staff in a wide arc, shooting a gust of wind magic at Gray. Natsu jumped in front of the attack, knocking it aside with a blast of fire. He didn't know if Gray was in fighting shape yet, but he couldn't risk looking again. Natsu wouldn't let Dorobo get near him anyway. _Gray is strong, he can take care of himself. You've faced worse than this together. What is wrong with you?_ Natsu didn't know. His instincts were screaming at him like never before. His dragon aspect. _Protect._

The dark mage shot another wave of energy towards Gray. Natsu jumped in front of the attack again, and shot out flames to counter it. This time, the magic arced around Natsu's and his fire to target Gray directly. Gray threw up an ice shield and leaped behind it, and the magic crashed into a tree, splintering it into dust along with half a dozen others that were nearby. Natsu met Gray's eyes; that attack could've hurt him, maybe killed him. The fire that had spread from Natsu's hands to engulf his arms now swallowed up his whole body. The fire mage was a walking inferno.

Dorobo flattened his palm and held it straight out in front of him, as though reaching to shake Natsu's hand. With a twist of his hand, he jerked his elbow in close to his chest. Chunks of earth shot up around the feet of both mages. Natsu avoided one only to catch another in his arm and back. He felt a cut open on his bicep, blood pouring from the wound. Gray dodged to land on a different piece of rising stone, tossing him into the air. He landed in a slide, ripping up furrows of dirt with his hands and feet as he dragged himself to a stop. His hands were a ragged, gory mess. 

Natsu climbed back to his feet. A switch flipped inside him. _Enough._ Lightning began to arc around Natsu's body, an electric aura mixed in with a tower of flame. A Lightning Flame Dragon Roar could finish this. If it could tear a hole through Tenrou, it could take the magic thief out in an instant.

Doroba crouched and pointed the lacrima on his staff at the ground. In the blink of an eye, he raised his empty fist into the air. Natsu's eyes widened in recognition. _Protect._ His feet started to move, running towards Gray. PROTECT. Gray felt his stomach fly into his chest. They couldn't reach him in time to stop the spell. As the dark mage brought the two fists together, one finger on each hand pointed at Gray as he shouted.

"Nottoru!" _Usurper._

Gray's world was traveling in slow motion as the spell flew at him. It was beautiful, white with streaks of pink and red, a bright center with flowing trails behind it. Natsu would try to take the hit for him, jump in front of the deadly magic. He knew it like he knew the sun would rise. Natsu would take the hit, and then he would die. _No._ Gray surged forward, running towards the blast with all his might. Natsu did not even see Gray running for it. His eyes were locked onto the spell, a dragon after it's prey. Inside the voice of his dragon was screaming. _A dragon protects its mate._ His feet pushed at the earth, fists pumping up and down, flames and lightning bursting around him. He had never wanted something so badly in all his life. He had to get there. He had to save Gray. 

Gray's vision was flashing, frame by frame, as he raced towards the light. Natsu, running towards death for Gray.  
_Flash._ His village, destroyed by Deliora, bodies crushed beneath the rubble.  
_Flash._ Natsu's fire, crackling with lightning. Scales tracing across his skin.  
_Flash._ Ur with a smile on her face, transforming as she used Iced Shell.  
_Flash._ Natsu's eyes, dancing with red fire and deadly determination.  
No. Not again. Not Natsu.

The distance closed, time all but standing still, and Gray felt relief suffuse him. He would make it before Natsu, who was too far away, would never intercept it in time. Only then did Natsu look at Gray, and realization dawned on the fire mage's face. Both trying to sacrifice themselves to save the other. Running. Praying. Each terrified that they would live, longing for death to save a life. Fear. Gray had never seen the expression on Natsu's face until now. It was hard to recognize it on him, like he was wearing clothes that did not belong to him. Natsu knew he was not fast enough. He could move faster than Gray, but the spell was after him, specifically. _No._

Natsu's feet shot flames at the earth. He pointed his hands behind him, and they burned with everything Natsu had. Propelled by his fire, it was enough. Just barely enough. A second more would have been too late. Natsu threw his body sideways in front of Gray, and the Nottoru slammed into his chest. The impact blasted him into Gray as flames poured out of Natsu's body and into Dorobo. Gray threw his arms around Natsu, and the pair flew backwards, knocking down a few saplings before they crashed into a rock. Gray took the force of the impact on his back and head. His world dimmed gray and red, and not because of the damage to his body. Something was broken inside his soul. He looked down at Natsu, motionless in his arms, then up at Dorobo. The flames had gone inside him, and he was coughing and sputtering. Gray thought he saw blood drip from his mouth.

"I wasn't ready for that. They really pulled out all the stops when they sent this one, didn't they?" Dorobo hacked some more, bending over and spitting gore onto the ground. "This will take some getting used to. You lucked out today, little ice prince. There's no way I can take your ice today. I've never consumed power like this before. I'll have come find you later." He smiled a hawk's smile. "I'd be honored to meet your friends." With a flash of fire, Dorobo vanished.

Gray looked down at Natsu, and there was no air to breathe.

"Natsu!" He pulled him up closer to his chest and put a shaking hand to his throat. He was trembling too much to feel anything, rocking them back and forth. Natsu did not move. Did not wake. 

"Natsu! Wake up!" He shook Natsu's shoulders, lifted his chin up to look into his face. Gray heard a strange moaning sound, and then realized it was coming from his own throat.

"Natsu, don't do this to me please. I love you Natsu, please don't-" A sob was wrenched from deep in Gray's chest. "Don't leave me." Tears ran down his cheeks, a dam burst, never to be fixed. Gray was lost.  
Blood began to pour from Natsu's ears, along with a single tear from the corner of his eye. His body suddenly trembled, then went very still.

Gray's lips trembled as leaned down and pressed them to Natsu's. They were warm, and soft, and perfect. A prayer answered in hell. A wish granted in a nightmare. Gray let out a low wail. It was the sound of death. He pulled back and looked down into Natsu's face.

 

He was greeted by black eyes looking up at him, with the red of flames within them. Natsu smiled.


	6. Aftershock

Natsu's world was black and full of pain. Through the darkness he could smell blood and sorrow. He tasted copper and the salt of tears. _Gray's tears._ Gray's blood? Natsu struggled to open his eyes, but they were so heavy. He felt something brush against his mouth, soft and sweet. He liked it. He wanted more. Finally his eyes wrenched open to gaze up at Gray's crying face. Natsu tried to smile at him. He lifted a shaking hand from his chest to brush Gray's cheek, only noticing it was soaked in blood after it streaked across his face. Gray clasped it and held it on his face for him. Natsu didn't have the strength.

 

"Gray, you're crying." Had Natsu ever seen Gray cry like this? He thought not, but his mind was swimming in strange circles and he couldn't be sure.

 

"No I'm not." His voice cracked in betrayal.

 

"You're such a liar."

 

"Shut up Natsu." 

 

Tears mixed with red on the hand covering Gray's cheek. Natsu tried to laugh and it came out in a spray of blood with a vicious cough. Gray's eyes widened in terror, then looked down at the gaping wound on Natsu's chest. Gray released Natsu's hand to rest on the gash, sealing it in ice to stop the bleeding. Natsu shivered.

 

"Sorry." Gray muttered, taking Natsu's hand back in his.

 

Natsu looked down at their joined hands, and his brow furrowed in concentration. He held his breath for a moment, straining, beads of sweat breaking out anew on his face. After a moment, he let out his breath in a rush and rested his head against Gray, pulling their hands in to his chest.

 

"Bastard really took my fire." His face looked forlorn, confused. "Now I'm nothing." Natsu glanced up at Gray, who was still had silent tears streaking down. Natsu smiled. "It was worth it though." He shivered again, hard and jolting. "It's really cold inside."

 

"Natsu, this is all my fault. I'm so sorry." 

 

"Gray, there's something I need to tell you." Gray waited, holding his breath. "You're an idiot, Gray."

 

"Natsu!" Natsu's world dimmed, eyes threatening to close. "Natsu, stay awake! Natsu!"

 

"I wanted you to know you're really important to me Gray." His words started to come out in mumbles. Gray noticed his pupils were two different sizes, one a gaping maw, the other a pinpoint of the darkest black within his already dark eyes. Fear cut through Gray like a knife. "Don't blame yours.... my....stupid...." Natsu's mouth wasn't obeying him, eyes fluttering as he fought to keep them open. "Don't let Juvia t.... what's mine....snow...." Natsu's eyes slammed closed. _Juvia?_ What was he talking about?

Wendy. Gray had to get Natsu to Wendy. No one had lived this long after taking that magic. All the mages who had been hit with this spell had died, but none of them had Wendy's sky magic to heal them. Maybe she could help release Natsu's magic, keep it from building up inside without an outlet and killing him.

Gray picked Natsu up, and he was running through the trees. _"Bastard really took my fire. Now I'm nothing."_ His fire didn't matter, Natsu was everything to Gray, but Gray would get those flames back if it was the last thing he did. It had taken them awhile to get this deep in the forest, but they had been moving slowly, cautiously. Now Gray flew, willing his feet faster and faster. When he got to the village, he would steal a car with a Self Energy plug. Nothing mattered except Natsu.

 _Natsu._ His emotions threatened to well up again and Gray shoved them back down. He'd been doing it his entire life after all. It was his goddamned specialty. Now was not the time. Later he could let the broken shards of himself fall apart. For now he held Natsu to his chest, and let his weight keep the shattered pieces inside. 

He glanced down at Natsu. His breath was coming faster now, quick gasps like he couldn't take in enough air. Gray wondered if he had punctured a lung with one of his rib bones. He was probably bleeding internally. _Stop it. Focus. Run._ Gray did his best to silence his thoughts. 

He held Natsu tighter.

He ran faster.

 

Gray knew he was getting close to the village once he reached the road. He tried to remember the S.E. cars he'd seen when they were there. Suddenly, he noticed something ahead. His arms tightened prospectively around Natsu, who was still breathing in gasps, sweat dripping off of him despite how cold his skin felt. As he got closer he realized it was a car with two men in it. Wizards. An S.E. car. His eyes narrowed but he did not slow. He would blow these mages away and take their vehicle, consequences be damned. Failing to get Natsu to Wendy would be far more punishing. _Ice will fail and fire fall._

Gray was deciding what he should do with Natsu while he fought when one of the men called out to him.

"You're Gray Fullbuster?"

Gray stopped in front of them, wary. Ready to fight.

"How do you know my name?"

The man took the pair in, eyes full of questions. Between Natsu's chest and back, along with the myriad cuts on Gray's hands, they were covered in blood and filth. Gray clutched Natsu to him like a mother protecting her child. Frightening in its intensity.

"A little white haired mage gave us a pile full of Jewels and told us to come here and wait for you. She said if you came before three o'clock, we should use our magic to get you and your friend to Magnolia as fast as we could." The Oracle. Gray's knew by their expressions that his face was dark and angry.

"And if we didn't get here?"

"Then we were supposed to evacuate the area in a fifty mile radius and inform the magic council."

Gray was dumbstruck. Evacuate? Fifty miles?

"Why?"

"She said it meant a dragon was coming to burn everything to the ground."

He took that in. Gray had never truly known anger, not until that very moment.

"She told us who you are, but who is he? Forgive me for asking but is he...is he..." Gray cut him off before he could say the word.

"He's the fucking dragon. Shut up and drive."

Gray climbed into the back seat and rearranged Natsu in his arms. He pressed his nose into his chest, hoping that Natsu had been right and it was Gray's scent that stopped the motion sickness. _Why would my smell stop his nausea?_ Gray could not care less, as long as it worked. The car took off and he realized that these wizards were professional drivers. They wove effortlessly through the village at incredible speed and were on the road to Magnolia in minutes. If Gray tried to drive that quickly, he would lose control of the car and crash. Even so, he thought, _faster._

He wasn't sure how long it would take to get to the guild at that speed, or if they could maintain it. Gray mage looked down at Natsu. He was pale, his skin slick with sweat. He shivered every few moments, despite the heat. At least he didn't seem to be motion sick. As Gray watched, tear of blood dripped down Natsu's face.

_Faster._

When they were almost halfway to Magnolia, they slowed to a stop. The driver was out of magic, and climbed out of the car. The other mage then switched to the drivers seat and strapped on the S.E. plug, but the first driver didn't get back in.

"What are you doing? Get in let's go." Gray snapped.

"Walking back. I'm out of magic, dead weight. You're faster without me. I hope your friend is okay."

Gray didn't have a chance to respond before the other mage punched the accelerator. Only the chance to be grateful. 

_Faster._

About ten miles outside of Magnolia, the car stopped again. Gray knew it was coming, could see that the mage was tapped out. No magic. He took off the wrist strap and looked at Gray, eyes grave. He held it out and asked Gray a question.

"Got anything left?"

Did he? Gray looked down at Natsu. Did he have anything left? Had he finally lost everything there was to lose? Then Natsu began to seize. His whole body shook and quaked, a puppet with strings jerked all at once. A trickle of blood poured out of his mouth. Gray gripped his head and shoulders, heart full of dread. It was over as fast as it came.

"Gray." 

Natsu choked out the word in his unconscious fever dream. Gray strapped on the plug as the other mage got out, and buried his face in Natsu's hair. He had everything left. With a nod to the driver, he raced toward Magnolia.

_Faster._

Gray hit the outskirts of Magnolia and began to flag. His magic was almost gone, but he pushed a little farther, vision flashing with light from the strain. Gray could almost see the guild, but then his eyesight began to strobe. At this rate he would lose consciousness before alerting anyone inside. 

_Fuck it._

Gray stopped the car with Natsu in his arms and he staggered. He could barely stand, but it didn't matter. Natsu shivered, skin icy, and Gray's feet obeyed, carrying him towards Fairy Tail.

 

Gray burst through the guild doors and collapsed with Natsu in his lap.

"WENDY! LUCY!" Gray shouted.

"Gray! Natsu! What happened?"

The guild was a whirlwind, seeing their mages beaten and covered in blood. They had been waiting for their return, but did not expect Gray to bring Natsu in, shaking and broken. Wendy and Lucy rushed up, Elfman close behind.

"Wendy! Heal him! Please, Wendy." Everyone ached at the tears on his face and the desperation in his voice. "Lucy, he's freezing. Get him some blankets!" The guild gathered around them as Wendy knelt down. She didn't ask any questions, just got to work. Lucy rushed up with some blankets and wrapped them around the pair.

"Gray, let's move him into the infirmary." Elfman moved to take Natsu from Gray's arms. He couldn't even move, let alone carry Natsu. _Take Natsu?_

"DON'T TAKE HIM!" Gray's scream tore through the guild. All of Fairy Tail looked on, wide eyed.  
Wendy worked her magic.  
Natsu lay in Gray's arms, still as the grave.  
Gray bent over and pressed his face into Natsu's neck. 

"God Natsu, please." A sob came out, savage and lost. Gray's head spun, and the world rocked underneath him. He had used too much magic, spilled too much blood. Lost too much hope. He was going to pass out. Gray looked up and saw a flash of white hair. Not a Strauss.

The Oracle, and Yuki from the council. Gray's eyes flashed bright blue as he locked gazes with them, and a red haze clouded his vision. He wanted them dead. Right now, he was too weak.

"You. You both get out of here. You're our enemies."  
"Gray-" Makarov spoke, but Gray wasn't hearing.  
"You sent us to die!" Gray was fading, fighting to stay conscious. Natsu's enemy was here. Gray's enemy. He needed to protect them. "GET OUT OF HERE!" 

It was no use. Gray went under, back twisted and doubled over, forehead tight against Natsu's throat. Wendy started to cry.

"His magic is too strong. I can heal his wounds but his magic is running wild."

 

.......................................................

 

Natsu sat on the riverbank where Gray and he used to fight. Gray was laying asleep in his lap. He ran his fingers through dark, silky hair. A great red dragon sat beside him. Natsu didn't look at it, just gazed at Gray's sleeping face.

"You're not Igneel."

"No. I'm not. Do you know who I am?" Natsu traced Gray's lips with his fingertips.

"You're me. I'm you." 

"Yes." The dragon looked across the riverbank. The Oracle and the council woman stood on the other side. "You're enemies are near. A mate protects."

Natsu gently rubbed his thumb up Gray's cheek and looked at his other hand.

"He took my fire. Gray used his magic, got hurt. He is weak right now, and I am powerless." A tear ran down Natsu's cheek. He didn't know what to do, but also didn't know how to give up.

"Then give him strength, and he will give you power. You will get back your flames, they are your birthright. Together you'll be made whole. A mate protects. You have to choose."

Natsu knew his dragon was right. He pressed his lips to the ice mage's, and felt the magic that was overwhelming his body flow into Gray. 

"Your mate needs the sky, and the sky needs the sun. I will keep them safe in here with you."

Natsu nodded, but kept his mouth on Gray's. Natsu would give them strength. Gray would give them power. They would be made whole. As he poured magic into Gray the river froze solid, rising to form a wall of ice. The dragon flew above to perch on the top, and watched their enemies below. 

 

..................................

 

Lucy sat on the floor next to Gray and Natsu, feeling powerless. Tears streaked down Wendy's face. Natsu was not getting better, did not move. Did not wake. Lucy looked towards the Oracle. Gray said they were his enemy. What did he mean?

Suddenly there was a crackling sound, and a circle of ice formed in the floor around the four wizards. Lucy glanced at Gray, unsure. It had to be coming from him. Wendy saw Lucy's gaze and shook her head.

"It's coming from Natsu." 

"But it's ice."

Then the ice began to build on itself, higher, surrounding the group. Everyone looked on in shock. 

"It's okay!" Wendy said, but it didn't matter. The ice shot up around them, and before anyone could react, a giant bubble of white formed, enclosing the mages within. Inside the smooth sphere of ice, Lucy looked on in confusion. Wendy felt..... safe. She smiled. "Lucy, it's fine. Natsu only wants to keep us safe."

 

Outside the ice bubble, the guild and Yuki gaped. On the smooth, blue white sphere of ice in front of where the council woman stood, a dragon was engraved. She felt it's eyes on her, and her heart beat faster. She moved closer to the Oracle, uncomfortable under its watchful gaze.

The carved dragon slithered across the ice, moving to follow her as she walked. Terror crept up her spine, and the dragons eyes told her things she needed no words to understand.


	7. Children

A giant sphere of ice sat just inside the entrance to Fairy Tail, with Gray, Natsu, Lucy and Wendy sealed inside. A dragon was carved onto the ice, eyes locked onto Yuki and the Oracle. The white haired prophetess looked at the dragon in amusement. Yuki looked on in fear.

 

The guild was silent, all eyes on the pair, unsure how to proceed. A shadow passed over the guild masters face and he nodded to Erza. She approached the two with murder in her eyes.

 

"Fairy Tail will no longer be requiring your services." The Oracle's lips turned up in a knowing smile. Yuki rankled at being ordered by anyone. 

 

"You think to make us leave? You don't have the right. We need to hear what happened."

 

Erza requipped into armor, sword in hand. The Oracle clapped her hands in glee.

 

"You can stay at your hotel. When Gray and Natsu wake up, I promise you we will come and find you." It didn't sound like a promise. Her words sliced through the air like a threat. Mirajane came up behind the red haired mage, already transformed into her Satan Soul takeover. The white haired council mage laughed, and then spoke in a singsong voice.

 

"Yuki is in trouble...." Yuki glared at her.

 

"Me?!?" She looked back at the Fairy Tail mages. "All I want is to speak to those two when they wake up. The council has done nothing against you. You want to cross swords with us over the battle mad words of one wizard?" Gajeel stepped up next to Mira and Erza.

 

"Cross swords? You don't have a sword." The iron Dragonslayer's arm shifted into a long, vicious blade. "We have several." Makarov spoke up next. The guild looked at him and realized he was growing in size, taller, wider. His Titan magic had activated. They stepped back warily, knowing their guild master well enough to realize he needed space. When he towered over the gathered mages, his growth slowed.

 

"Gray said you are my enemy. When your child says someone has wronged them, you listen to them. We will wait until my children wake up, and they will tell us what happened. I promise you after that, one way of the other, you will be seeing us. I think you should go now."

 

Yuki looked at Makarov and understood for the first time why so many were afraid of him. She had only seen him as a grouchy old man, often drunk and out of hand at meetings of the guild leaders. Not as this fearsome giant with yellow eyes glowing, ready to bring destruction. Yuki tried to hide her shiver. The Oracle spoke up.

 

"Let's go Yuki. There's something I have to do." She smiled up at Makarov. "Don't worry, we'll be back." She skipped out of the guild, barefoot and carefree. Yuki followed behind, the weight of a giant on her shoulders and the eyes of a dragon watching her go.

 

"Tch! I don't like that little Seeress. She gives me the creeps." 

 

Gajeel spat, arm retreating from blade into flesh. Erza requipped back into her clothes as Makarov shrunk down to his normal size.

 

"What now, master?" Erza asked, eyes locked on the ice that held their friends.

 

"No one touches that thing. I don't think that dragon would take very kindly if we tried to melt it, and I don't want to risk what might happen. For now we wait." He paused. "Jet, get over to Lamia Scale and bring Lyon, just in case. Mirajane, go and get Lissanna and Happy. Gajeel, have Lily fly you to Porlyusica's. Carla will go with you, to fly her back here. Tell her Natsu is..." Makarov choked on his words. "Tell her that Natsu is dying."

 

 

..........................................................................

 

Inside the cocoon of ice, all was still. Wendy had exhausted her sky magic for the moment and was waiting for it to recharge some before working on their guild mate again. Natsu still rested in Gray's lap, who was bent over him awkwardly. Lucy could not stand to let him stay in such a painful looking position, and lay him down on the wooden floor of their ice bubble, flat on his back. Gray began moving restlessly in his sleep, grasping. Natsu's hand clenched and unclenched, reaching out through the fog of his unconsciousness. Gray turned and searched with clumsy slumbering hands until he found Natsu's head and shoulders. He clutched Natsu into his stomach, curling his body around the fire mage. Natsu circled behind Gray's knees with one arm, and his other hand searched out one of Gray's, grasping tightly. Both mages then grew still again, breathing even. The celestial mage looked at her wounded friends, holding hands, clinging to each other like twins in their mothers womb. _Or like lovers._ Lucy glanced at Wendy, a question in her eyes, but Wendy was not looking at her. She was looking at Natsu and Gray with a sad smile on her face. Lucy thought in that moment that Wendy was no longer the child she seemed. Those eyes took in things that others couldn't see.

 

"Can you tell how he is? Inside? What happened to him?" Lucy asked. 

 

"I can use my magic to target specific injuries, so I healed his lungs first. A couple of ribs had broken and punctured them, and there was blood in them. I had to heal the rib bones first, get them out of the lungs then heal those. His body will absorb the blood on its own. I'm out of magic right now, his physical injuries are still bad. He still has some broken bones, but what worries me is the bleed in his brain. He would have suffocated if I hadn't done the lungs first, but his brain.... It's bad, Lucy." Lucy was worried about Natsu, but impressed with the little Dragonslayer.

 

"How did you learn all this? I knew you could heal, but..." Wendy just smiled.

 

"I've been studying with Porlyusica, and at the healers guild hospital in Oshibana. I've learned a lot." Wendy's gaze went back to the pink haired mage. "Not enough though, I guess. Maybe Natsu will let us out soon, and I can replenish my magic by eating some air and work on him some more."

 

"You said that before, that it was Natsu's ice, but-" Lucy was interrupted by a crackling sound, like the surface of a frozen lake groaning under too much weight. 

 

..........................................................................

 

Natsu now lay on the riverbank next to Gray, holding the ice mage's hand in his and gazing at the sky. The dragon flew down from his perch on the ice wall as it creaked and shuddered. He landed next to Natsu.

 

"Your enemies are gone. Our mate is not in danger. He can no longer channel your magic until you mark him." Natsu still wouldn't look at his dragon. He lifted their joined hands and ran the fingers of his free one over Gray's knuckles.

 

"Mark him?" He felt the dragon's gaze, willing Natsu to face him. Natsu brought their clasped hands to his face and breathed in pine and snow. He closed his eyes. It was not as strong as his scent in real life, not in this ephemeral dreamscape, but it was enough to soothe him.

 

"For a dragon, a bite. For a human, a kiss. Mark him, and the mark will show on your palms. Then claim him. Two halves joined to make a whole."

 

"I can't."

 

"You must."

 

"Gray deserves better than me. I can't chain him to this. " He should have a choice, and he would never choose Natsu. Gray deserved a beautiful girl who could cook him food and have his children. Someone he could be proud to stand beside. Natsu was nothing. He had no fire, no strength. He couldn't even fight Gray anymore. Natsu was no one now. His entire life, he'd felt flames burning inside him. Now he felt cold. A tear ran down, and he made no move to stop it. "When did I start to feel this way? My chest hurts. My lungs. My throat. Is it supposed to hurt this much? " He couldn't ask the question he wanted to aloud. _How long have I wanted Gray?_ Natsu knew he was only asking himself. He wondered if he had the answer.

 

"Always. He is your mate. You wanted to be near him, and you did not know how, so you fought him. You wanted to protect him, and you did not know how, so you fought him. You wanted him to look at you, wanted him to touch you, wanted him to respect you. So you fought him. When you have a problem you seek to answer it with your fists. But not everything is answered by force and fire, Natsu. "

"It's all I know. All I have. All I am."

"It's not all you are."

Natsu said nothing.

"Your magic is going to kill you. You need your mate to live. Save the both of you. Mark him."

"He'll hate me forever. I can't." Huge black eyes that burned with fire looked at him in disgust.

"You are a fool, Natsu." The red dragon flew away as the wall of white crashed to the ground. 

It buried them in ice.

 

...................................................................

 

Gray blinked his eyes. They felt like they had been closed for a thousand years. 

"Gray. Thank God."

He looked around slowly, neck stiff and sore. Lyon sat in a chair next to the hospital bed he lay on, looking worse for wear. _Hospital bed?_

"Natsu." 

He sat up in a rush, muscles screaming, and felt a tug on his hand. There was another bed pushed right up against his. The pink haired mage lay on it, unconscious, pale and panting. Someone had washed him, and put pajama pants on him. They couldn't put his shirt on. Gray and Natsu held hands, and those hands were encased in ice. Gray melted the ice away into nothing and stared at where Natsu's fingers wove through his.

"Gray."

Gray jumped at Lyon's voice and released Natsu's hand guiltily. Lyon furrowed his brow, glancing from Natsu and back to Gray.

"What happened to you out there Gray?"

Gray buried his face in his hands.

"We went into the woods... " He shuddered out a breath. _And I failed. I let Natsu die. ___


	8. Fever

It had been three days since Gray had woken up next to Natsu. He had not left his side as doctors and healing mages had filed in and out of Fairy Tails infirmary, a procession of hopelessness and futility. Natsu's body was perfectly fine, as far as his physical injuries were concerned. His bones had been mended, his hemorrhaging stopped, his cuts closed up. The last mage besides Wendy who had worked on Natsu had said 'His mind may be a little off for a few days but besides the magic issue, his body should be fine if he ever wakes up. I don't think I'd get my hopes up though. Optimistically, he has a few days left at most.' She had said it in a professional manner with sympathy and respect. Gray had blasted her into the wall with ice without a second thought. When his guild mates looked at him incredulously, he'd shouted at them to get her out of his sight.

They had obliged.

The only healers who came near Natsu now were Porlyusica, Wendy, and a mage that had come from Lamia Scale with Lyon, who kept Natsu fed and hydrated through magical means. He was incredibly wary of Gray, giving him lots of space and always watching him out of the corner of his eye, as though he expected the ice mage to attack at any moment. Gray was grateful for his help, and treated him with more deference than even his own guild mates were getting at the moment. Mirajane brought food that sat untouched until she took it back out again with a sigh. Lucy went home only at night, staying at the guild all day, often holding vigil with Gray next to Natsu's bed. She and Levy poured through books in the library, trying to find something to help their friend. Happy stayed at the guild, sleeping curled up by Natsu each night. Gray was a little jealous to be honest, and that just made him feel selfish. Happy was like Natsu's child. The blue exceed was lost without him, just as Gray was.

Everyone in Fiore had heard of the dark mage and his rampage across the country. Some of the townspeople had seen Gray carry Natsu into Fairy Tail, had heard from the guild that he'd been hit by Dorobo's spell. Rumors began to spread that Natsu was, in fact, dead already. People came from all over to pay their respects to the Salamander, the great dragon prince of Fairy Tail. They lit candles and brought flowers to Fairy Tails entrance, piling up stuffed dragons and fire lacrimas in tribute. Until Gray found out, and flew into a blind rage. He chased the mourners away, screaming and throwing their offerings at them as they ran. He then froze everything that had been put there, photos of Natsu and votives and toy salamanders, and shattered them into pieces. 

No one brought tributes now.

After the rumor of Natsu's death had spread, Fairy Tail mages who had been on jobs rushed back to the guild, along with some of their allies from other guilds. Gildarts had been the first to arrive back, followed by Laxus and the Raijinshuu. Sting and Rogue from Sabertooth, along with the Trimens of Blue Pegasus. The guild was full of friends and fighters.

Surrounded by so many people, Gray had never felt so alone.

Wendy and the others had told him that after the ice bubble had thawed, Natsu's magic had been depleted somewhat. Wendy and Gajeel swore that it had been Natsu that formed the ice that had surrounded them. Gray told him that was impossible, but Gajeel just scoffed at him.

"Magic has a smell, it's different for each person. It might have been ice, but it smelled like the Salamander." The iron Dragonslayer narrowed his eyes at Gray. "Kind of like you, ice boy. Why is that, you think?" Gray's eyes went wide, and Gajeel just smiled. "That's what I thought." Gray looked around, fearful, but no one was within earshot. "Don't worry, frostbite, it's none of my business anyway." He walked away without another word. _Fuck._

He didn't know how Natsu could've done it, but he wanted Gajeel and Wendy to be right. Gray could make ice in his sleep, sure, but he had been out of magic. If Natsu had formed the ice, and his magic had been depleted to safer levels, maybe he could do it again. Now his magic had built back up inside him, and Wendy had to do maintenance treatments on him just to keep it from tearing him apart. When they examined his eyes they were bright red with burst vessels. Look in his mouth and you could see his gums bleeding. Wendy went home with Carla to get some clothes early on, and was a half hour later than normal with her magic. Natsu's ears had started to ooze gore. Wendy's eyes began to tear as she healed him. Gray had put his arms around the little sky dragon and together, they cried. They cried for their friends pain... and their own.

Many in Fairy Tail wanted to go after Dorobo. Others, the magic council. Dorobo had known they were coming, and been waiting for them. The Oracle had prepared a car for them, had known that Gray would be carrying Natsu's battered body home. _Or that a dragon was coming to burn everything to the ground._ Gray wasn't stupid. She knew that Natsu would be hurt... or Gray would be dead. The only reason Natsu was still alive was because he was a Dragonslayer and had sky magic to heal him.   
And still, she'd sent them out there.

Makarov had forbidden it. The guild master would not even let anyone go out on a job, though no one was eager to. Dorobo had said he would come after Gray and Natsu's friends. 

They were eager to show him the consequences of such hubris.

So they waited.

Wendy worked her magic. Lucy searched her books. Gray sat by Natsu's side, watching him breathe too fast. Lay too still. Hurt too much. 

Three days of hell.

Night had fallen and all was quiet in the guild. Wendy was home now, and would not be back until morning. Happy had gone to Lisanna's for the night.   
Gray was alone with Natsu and for that he was grateful. Everyone was walking on eggshells around him. _Gray's gone crazy._ They didn't say it with their mouths, but their eyes. He could feel the weight of their stares, and it was a relief to not be pinned under them. They thought seeing Natsu get hurt that way had broken him. Maybe they were right.

Gray looked at the door leading from the infirmary room to the guild and sealed it closed with ice. If anyone had noticed that he did this when he was alone here, no one said anything. Even if they had, it would not have mattered to Gray at this point. He climbed into the bed to lay next to Natsu, who rested on his back. Gray pushed his face into those pink locks and breathed in deep. _Natsu. I'm sorry._ The fire mage turned in his sleep, rolling over towards Gray and throwing his arm around him. Tears gathered in Gray's eyes. This was the only time Natsu ever moved on his own. To draw closer to Gray in sleep. When morning came and the ice mage left Natsu's bed, the fire mage would whimper. Every time.

Gray watched Natsu's face illuminated in the moonlight filtering through the window. He traced the line of his cheekbones, the shape of his nose, the curve of his lips. It was impossible for Gray to forget what this face looked like. He wanted to remember how it felt. When the others were around, he didn't allow even the slightest suggestion that Natsu might not make it. Here, alone in the night next to his friend, his thoughts danced darkly through his mind and he knew.

Natsu would die.

"Now that's no way to think, little ice mage." Gray sat up in bed, putting himself between Natsu and the intruder. The Oracle. Gray threw up ice between them, like prison bars jutting up from the floor to split the room.  
"Oh, I'm not here to hurt your little dragon. Truly, I'm not your enemy."

"You sent us out there knowing one of us could die. He knew we were coming. You TOLD him we were coming."

"Ah, well, I did do that. But it was for your own good."

"You fucking bitch. Natsu is dying. You told those people if I didn't show to evacuate because a dragon was coming to burn everything down. If I had died and Natsu had lost it, he never would've forgiven himself."

"He never would've come back after that. He would have been lost to the dragon inside of him. There is no guilt for dragons."

"If Natsu dies, I will kill you, and every member of the magic council. I will freeze you all solid and shatter you to the winds. Era will be covered in ice and snow until the day I die. Natsu and me, we have been heroes. If I lose him, I'm okay being the villain." His words cut through the night, sharp and final. She smiled a sad smile, and suddenly this tiny girl looked a thousand years old.

"I have seen you as the villain." Her eyes glowed white and she spoke in two voices at once, one of a woman and one of a child. "I have seen you seated in a throne of ice, bare of the mark of the fairies. Surrounding you are the frozen dead, and the land knows nothing but winter." The light dimmed from her gaze, her voice normal. "But that path is closed to you now, Gray Fullbuster. There is only one left, and I think you will like it. Have faith in your dragon. But ask yourself a question. How far will you go for Natsu? Will you walk through flames?"

Before he could answer, she vanished into nothingness. Gray could not even muster surprise. _'There's only one path left, and I think you will like it.'_ He would surely enjoy killing them if that's what she meant. Gray curled into Natsu, stroking his hair softly as he drifted into sleep with thoughts of blood and fire.


	9. Marked

Gray had fallen asleep with thoughts of blood and woken up to the scent of it. It was light out, but there were no sounds from the guild yet, though he knew Makarov, Lucy and Wendy would be there at the very least. Probably Mirajane too. He blinked slowly, eyes full of sand, and glanced down at Natsu. _Blood._ Blood everywhere. It dripped out of Natsu's eyes like tears. His nose. His mouth. His ears. Gray heard someone moan, a wretched keening sound. Later he would realize it must have come from him. 

 

"Natsu!" _It's over._ "WENDY! HELP! Oh fuck.... Wendy!" His shout was loud and ragged. 

 

Natsu's breathing was faster than ever, an animal dying of heatstroke. His skin radiated warmth like a furnace. Gray grabbed at his hand and clutched it to his chest and realized it was trembling. Not just his hands. Natsu's whole body quivered and shook. _God, no...._ Someone tried to open the door, then pounded on it.

 

"Gray!" Wendy's voice. He'd forgotten about his ice sealing the door. Gray released it and the doors flew open, Wendy and Lucy practically falling into the room.

 

"Oh, no, Natsu." Wendy rushed to the bed and lifted her hands, magic flowing from them in a blue green cloud of light. Doing nothing. "I don't know what's wrong. It's not working." She shook her head. "His magic is too strong. Mine can't keep up. There's too much energy inside." Even as she said this, the light in her hands grew brighter as Wendy tried to pour more magic into Natsu. Tears started falling down her cheeks. 

 

Gray felt like he was swimming in deep water. Sounds reached his ears in muted echoes, as though drifting down from above. Lucy ran to go get Makarov from his room upstairs. He watched her go, detached. He was watching this happen, and not a part of it. He couldn't be a part of it. His friend couldn't really be losing his life in his arms. Memories flashed in his mind. He hadn't known that life flashed before your eyes even when it was someone else dying.

 

Natsu, stopping him from using Iced Shell on Lyon and Deliora.

Natsu, carrying Erza out of the sea after fighting Jellal.

Natsu, defeating Hades. 

Natsu destroying the Eclipse gate. 

Natsu, saving the world. Time and time again. Who would save them now?

There would be no fire dragon left to keep the monsters at bay. 

 

Gray felt magic rising within him. He wondered if it would hurt after all these years when Makarov took off his guild mark. It didn't matter. 

 

He couldn't wear the mark of Fairy Tail for what he was about to do, and nothing would stop him from claiming his vengeance.

 

..........................................................................................

 

Natsu was drowning in his river now, a river full of blood. He struggled to stay above the surface, kicking and flailing. His dragon stood on the bank of the river, watching with cold indifference. Gray was nowhere to be seen. Natsu thrust his hand out at the red beast.

 

"Help me!" He swallowed mouthfuls of red as he begged himself for help. "Save me! Get me out!" Pitiless black eyes looked at him, tired and resigned.

 

"I can't help you anymore. You cannot help yourself. Only Gray can save you."

 

"Please!" Natsu did not want to die, drowning in his own blood, so far away from Gray. "I saved him! I don't want to hurt him! He deserves more!" His dragon looked angry.

 

"You think it is you who saved your mate? You are more foolish than I thought, Natsu Dragneel. You saved only yourself. Now is your chance to save him, yet here you are, failing him. Fighting with yourself. Drowning in your blood. I will do one thing more for you. I will show you truth."

 

Natsu sank underneath, being pulled downward in an endless abyss. He thought of Gray as his vision went black.

 

Natsu was back in the forest with Gray. With Dorobo. It was night instead of day this time, and the moon hung full and red above him. Natsu was running. He looked ahead and realized he was running to intercept the Nottoru. Racing with Gray. One last competition, the only one that ever mattered. All his life he'd battled Gray. Who was stronger? Who was faster? Now, he needed to win. Gray's life hung in the balance. He'd already done this once before, and Natsu was grateful. He knew how this race would end. 

 

Then he watched in horror as the Nottoru slammed into Gray. _No._ Gray went down in slow motion, a smile on his face when Natsu reached him. 

 

"I win, Natsu. I win." Natsu pulled Gray into his arms as the ice mage's eyes rolled back in his head. _No._ He trembled as he bled out, lungs gasping, mouth slack. _No. No. No. Not Gray._ Then, in a flash, Gray was gone. Limp. Lifeless. Natsu screamed until his throat started to bleed. When he looked up Dorobo was gone. He felt his flames come out. They'd never been this hot before, or this out of control. They burned off his clothes. By the time he looked down, Gray wasn't there anymore. Natsu's dragonfire had burned him to ashes. _God, no._ Natsu clutched the ashes to him, rubbing them into his face. Something snapped inside, something that could not be mended. Wings of fire sprang from his back and he rose above the forest, filled with hatred. _Natsu is not home right now._ He was no longer a person. He was only a dragon. His mate had been taken, had _suffered._ Looking down at the countryside below, he could just see Magnolia. The red of flames glinted in his eyes as his newfound wings brought him towards the town. They had not known suffering like his mate had. 

They would learn. He would teach them.

 

Natsu broke the surface of his river of blood, gasping. 

 

"Without your mate, the world burns in dragonfire. Without you, Earthland knows only snow. There is only one way. Mark your mate. Then claim him. You're not yet done saving the world, even if it is only from yourselves." _No._ Natsu thought. _I can't._

 

"You can."

 

The dragon took a breath, and blasted Natsu with flames.

 

.....................................................................................................

 

Natsu sat up, still feeling the heat of his dragon's flames, but all he could see was Gray. _Gray not burned to ashes. Gray not dead in his arms. Gray is alive._

"Gray." He didn't see Lucy, Wendy, and Makarov there. Didn't even register Gray's expression. Gray was alive. Nothing else mattered.

 

Natsu grabbed Gray's face with both hands and pulled him into a fierce kiss. There was blood in his mouth as he forced his hot tongue between Gray's lips. Gray opened his mouth with a moan. Natsu felt a heat on his palm like it was being branded. He hardly noticed. _Marked._ His lips savaged Gray's without mercy. Gray was alive, and Gray was _his._ His dragon roared in triumph in his head as Natsu felt magic flow out of him and through Gray. _Mate. MINE._ Ice coated the bed, the floor. It crept out of the infirmary and rolled across the guild like an icy blaze, spreading like fire up the walls and across the ceiling. Their mouths melded as the energy that had been killing Natsu was finally released in ice. The guild was coated in it like some frozen northern palace. Natsu groaned and finally released Gray's mouth, sucking in air like a drowning man. Gray gasped and panted along with him, and looked down at his hand. Natsu grabbed Gray's hand, holding up his own next to it.

 

"Oh fuck." Two identical marks were there, one on each of their hands, like a tattoo's outline. _Marked._ Red, swirling filigree in a circular patten, with marks like a dragon's scales. Gray didn't know what it was, but he thought it was beautiful. Gray met Natsu's eyes, smiling. Natsu was awake, alive. His magic had been drained. _Natsu kissed me._ Gray had never been this happy.

 

Natsu's face was full of dread.

 

"Natsu?"

 

"Oh fuck Gray oh shit I'm so sorry." He leapt up from the bed. "Please I'm so sorry I didn't mean to..."

 

"Natsu what are you talking about?" Gray got up and reached out for Natsu's arm. The fire mage pulled it away, heading for the door. His feet gripped the ice like Gray's would, without slipping or sliding. Gray guessed it made sense, since it was _Natsu's ice_ after all. Natsu looked at Gray with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

 

The three onlookers were dumbstruck and silent.

 

"I can fix it Gray. I can make it right, take the mark away. I know how. I swear I can." 

 

Gray closed his right hand possessively over the red outline. He did not know what it was, only that Natsu had somehow given it to him, and he did not want it taken away. A voice he didn't recognize whispered in his head, _mine._

 

"I don't want you to fix it. I want you to calm the fuck down and sit. You almost DIED, Natsu." Natsu was not listening. He was panting, panic filling his eyes.

 

"I can fix it. I'm sorry, Gray. I don't want to hurt you."

 

Natsu ran across the ice and out the door as if the devil himself were in pursuit.

 

"Natsu! Wait! Natsu!" He looked on in shock for a moment, disbelieving what had just happened. Natsu was alive. Natsu had kissed him.

 

Natsu had run away.

 

Gray was after him, running across the ice with Wendy and Lucy slipping their way towards the door. The ice mage met Gajeel and the twin dragons Sting and Rogue coming into the guild as he tried to catch up with the fire mage. Natsu was nowhere to be seen. How could he move so fast? The twin dragons were a little unsteady on their feet on the ice, looking around confused. Gajeel had summoned iron spikes out of his feet for traction. Gray was suddenly dizzy. He hadn't been eating, hadn't been sleeping well. Now that Natsu had woken up, it caught up to him with a vengeance. Gajeel caught Gray before he face planted into the ice floor.

 

"Whoa there, frostbite, you okay?"

 

"Natsu...." Gray sounded like he was going to pass out.

 

"I know, buddy, I know. Something happen?" Gajeel's eyes darkened. "Something bad?" Gajeel sniffed deeply. "This is Salamanders ice again." Another deep sniff.

 

"Natsu is awake, he took off running." Gray fisted his right hand. "He's going to take it away. It's MINE. Gajeel you have to stop him. You can smell him. Go after him! Bring him back!" He pushed Gajeel away and landed with a thud on the ice. "GO!" Gray wasn't making sense, but either way, Natsu didn't need to be running around Magnolia right after he'd woken up from a magic induced coma. Who knew what could happen to him.

 

"Calm down, ice boy, I got him." He looked at Sting and Rogue. "Take care of Juliet here for me, would you?"

Sting and Rogue shared a puzzled look as Gajeel took off after Natsu. Sting reached out for Gray's hand to help him up, only to pull back with a hiss as his hand was burned. He took in the mark on Gray's hand with wide eyes before glancing at Rogue with a shocked grin. He pulled Gray up with his other hand and patted him on the back.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Salamander."


	10. Dark Magic

Rogue punched Sting in the shoulder with enough force to stagger the white Dragonslayer. Sting just smiled at him. Gray was still reeling. What the fuck was Natsu talking about? Gajeel had just called him Juliet, then Sting referred to him as Mrs. Salamander, once he'd seen the mark on his palm. Everyone's ass would need to be kicked at some point, he was sure, but not while the guild hall spun slowly around him, despite the fact that he stood still. Gray felt like he was missing out on the joke here. That probably meant the joke was him.

"What are you talking about? What's this mark mean?" They had only reacted after seeing it on Gray's hand, and Gray had seen recognition in their eyes. No one else had arrived yet, which Gray found strange considering ice poured out the doors and towards the dorms. Gray weaved to the left and caught himself, widening his stance on the ice. Now that he looked at it, it looked familiar. Gajeel and Levy had a similar tattoo on their hands, though it was gray instead of red.

"Maybe get rid of this ice first, then we go sit down to discuss this? You need a rest. " Sting made a valid point.

Gray put out his hand to better focus his energy so he could get rid of the ice without flooding the guild. He needed to melt it fast. Gray willed his magic outward. And produced a stream of fire. Gray cut off the spell in shock, jumping backwards away from the flames. Sting laughed.

"What the hell." That was all Gray could even muster at this point. His lights were on, but he wasn't quite home.

"I didn't mean like that." That earned him another punch from Rogue. 

"Don't think about Natsu. Think about your ice, think about dispersing it. Picture it in your head." _Like a child learning magic again. How pathetic._ This time his ice disappeared like it was meant to, and he made his way back to Natsu's bed. Gray stopped short. Natsu's scarf was there on the bed where it must have fallen off. Natsu NEVER left his scarf behind. Gray picked it up and sat down, about to press it to his nose and breathe in Natsu's scent. He stopped halfway when he remembered his audience. Wendy and Lucy had ridiculous smiles on their faces. Sting had a wry smirk, and Gray could swear Rogue was blushing.

"Stop that. What is this thing?" He held up his right in question. The twin dragons looked at Gray, then to Wendy and Lucy. They weren't sure they needed to talk about it in front of others, even if one was a little Dragonslayer.

"Maybe you guys could give us a minute? Make Gray some food or something?" Lucy looked less than pleased at the white dragons words.

"Did you seriously just try to send the women to the kitchen?" Gray rolled his eyes.

"Please Lucy. Wendy. I'll tell you everything later." They headed for the door. "Hey guys could you...." He paused as they looked back at him. The words stuck in his throat. "Could you not tell anyone?" All his life he had dreaded someone finding out his secret. He didn't even know what he was to Natsu. The rest of the guild couldn't know. His pleading face broke Wendy's heart. Lucy, however, looked pissed.

"What kind of people do you think we are Gray?" She left with a scowl on her face, closing the door behind her. Gray looked to the pair expectantly. They didn't seem sure of what to say, so they held up their hands instead, showing Gray marks like his own in their palms. Gray stared at them, brain shooting blanks now. Stings mark was black, while Rogue had a white one. The shadow Dragonslayer finally spoke.

"These are Dragonslayer mating marks." 

"Mating marks." It wasn't a question, but at the same time, it was.

"Dragonslayers, like dragons, have only one mate. They mate for life, and can be with no one else but their mate. Physically or otherwise. When a Dragonslayer finds his mate, as soon as he is of age, he's drawn to them. Kiss your mate and the mark forms. Claim your mate, the mark fills in, and the both of you get much stronger. Levy is Gajeel's mate. That's why she has the same mark as Gajeel." Gray took this in. He didn't want to believe them, but it was impossible not to.

"You two are mated. To who? Someone in Sabertooth?" Rogue looked at his lap, blushing again. Sting reached over and hooked his elbow around Rogue's neck, dragging the shadow mage closer to him.

"Mrs. Salamander, meet Mrs. Eucliffe." Rogue jerked his head out from under Sting's arm and blasted him with shadow magic. Sting ducked out of the way with a laugh, hands held up in surrender. "I'm sorry Rogue, I'm sorry. But really, Rogue is my mate, I am his. That's why my mark is black, and his is white. Your mark takes on the properties of whatever Dragonslayer you are mated to. Yours is red because you belong to Natsu."

 _You belong to Natsu._ Nothing had ever sounded so right to Gray in his entire life. It was too good to be true, he thought, as the mark on his hand stared at him. His entire life he'd wanted Natsu. He rubbed his fingertips over the red, reptilian circle. Gray kept his eyes on it even as he spoke to the pair.

"I can't believe you two are mated to each other. It's just surprising." 

"Your one to talk, fairy. Your mated to a man too." Sting looked thoughtful for a moment. "Dragonslayers don't get attracted to anyone but their mate, but you aren't a Dragonslayer. Did you like girls before? This must be a shock, if you weren't gay."

Gray didn't think he was gay, or straight. All his life he had only ever loved Natsu.

"Oh my God that's the most stupidly romantic thing I've ever heard. Why don't you say shit like that to me, Rogue?" 

_Shit, did I say that out loud?_ Gray needed food, and rest, until Gajeel dragged Natsu back here at least. Natsu had run away from Gray after he'd kissed him. Maybe he was horrified. Maybe he didn't want Gray for his mate. The ice mage felt sick to his stomach.

"What if you don't like your mate?"

"You will." They answered in unison. _But what if he doesn't?_ They must have read it on his face. Gray was so obvious. "Look, you said you love him." Sting was ridiculously straightforward. "You're his mate. He feels the same. If he's anything like us and Gajeel-san, he can't even get hard for anyone else. Can't even finish until he claims you."

"You really never know when to shut up, Sting. "

"What? I thought I was impotent my whole life. Really fucked me up. Natsu might not tell him. He needs to know." Rogue put his face in his hands.

"Wait hold up. You mean Natsu has never..." Gray couldn't finish his sentence. "Not even by himself? Wet dream? Nothing?" Sting shook his head in answer. Gray didn't believe it. How was that even possible?

"Maybe ease off on the incredibly embarrassing revelations on someone else's behalf there, dumb ass. This is something he should be talking about with Natsu." 

"But Natsu is an idiot." Gray bristled at that.

"You're a fucking idiot." Gray spat before he could stop himself. Rogue smiled.

"You are an idiot. _Master._ " Sting cut his eyes at the shadow mage, licking his lips, then shaking his head.

"So Natsu can make ice. I can make fire. Because we're mates." The twin dragons nodded in affirmation. 

"Which kinda pisses me off to be honest. It usually takes years and tons of practice. We can't do it yet. Neither can Levy and Gajeel-san. Natsu hasn't even claimed you yet and your blasting fire."

"Natsu's fire ability was taken. Why can I do it if he can't right now?"

"A mate rights all wrongs." They spoke in unison again. Rogue finished for them. "I think when you two.... When Natsu claims you, his fire will come back. Mates can heal serious wounds, remove curses and spells. They can sense if their mate is in danger, can always find them, even travel through their Dragon element to get to one another. It should be no problem."

Lucy came in with a plate of food right then, which she pretty much threw at Gray before walking back out. Gray did not care. He was suddenly starving, would've eaten it off the floor like a dog at this point. The ice mage began shoveling down food. Gray had finished the sandwiches in no time flat.

"We'll get out of here, let you sleep. And of course we won't mention any of this to anyone besides Natsu or Gajeel." Rogue began to pull Sting out of the room.

Gray curled into a ball on the bed and tucked Natsu's scarf against his face, clinging to it like a child sleeping with a security blanket. He didn't give a shit anymore as exhaustion and stress overtook him.

"Shut the door behind you." 

"Oh man Gray-kun is so freaking adorable. I kind of want to pet him like a puppy."

Rogue dragged his mate from the room. Gray was asleep before the door finished closing, Natsu's scent in his nose. Before he drifted off he heard Sting's words looping through his mind. _You belong to Natsu._

 

.............................................. 

 

Natsu could smell Gajeel behind him in pursuit almost as soon as he left the guild. It made sense they would send the iron mage after him. Natsu knew Gajeel was mated to Levy, had seen the marks, could smell it in their scents. He would be able to tell what had happened between Natsu and Gray.

He tried to lose him, though he knew with the shape he was in combined with Gajeel's nose it was probably impossible. Then his house came into view and he realized he had run straight home. _Idiot._

Natsu went in, leaving the door open. No point in trying to hide from his guild mate in his own home. Natsu sank to the floor, sitting cross legged with his face in his hands.

"Damn it, Salamander, your quick for a guy who just woke up out of a coma." Gajeel came inside uninvited and closed the door. "Your place is immaculate." Gajeel sniffed. "Lucy cleaned it for you, eh? Better watch out with that. Your little mate will get jealous."

 _My mate._ Natsu groaned and pulled at his hair.

"Fuck, what did I do to him. He'll never forgive me. Man.... Gray..." Gajeel sat down on a nearby chair.

"What are you talking about? Gray loves you. He's been in love with you forever. You and everyone else in the guild were just to stupid to notice."

Natsu shook his head. There was no way that was true. Gajeel sighed.

"When I kissed Levy for the first time and saw that I'd marked her, I ran away too. Not because I thought she wouldn't want me, but because I was stupid. One woman the rest of my life? When I'd never even had a woman before, or even an erection? I was terrified. But then I thought about it and saw that my whole life was revolving around her, without my even realizing it. I thought about her when I woke up. As I went to sleep. When I was choosing a job I picked jobs I would need her on, or short jobs I could finish fast. So I could see her. You and Gray are just the same. You fight all the time because you don't know how to be close to him. He fights you back because he doesn't want you to know. Is terrified to lose what he has with you."

"You sound like one of Lucy's cheesy romance novels."

"Don't make me beat an invalid fresh out of unconsciousness. I'd hate to put you back under." Gajeel opened and closed his fists. He was uncomfortable talking like this. It wasn't his strong suit. "Gray begged me to come after you and bring you back."

"Begged you?"

"Well more like ordered me but the sentiment is the same."

"There's no way Gray would want me, ME, instead of some beautiful girl. I'm Fairy Tails resident idiot. All I can do is fight. I don't even have my fire anymore. If Gray knew what that mark meant, he'd chop his hand off to be rid of it. Cursed to be stuck with me for the rest of his existence? What a fucking nightmare. I just ruined his life." Natsu wanted to cry but he would be damned if he did it in front of Gajeel.

"Claiming your mate will bring back your flames. Pretty soon it'll be a moot point. You marked Gray. If you wait too long to claim him, your dragon pheromones will activate. You'll be horny as fuck, mind on nothing but claiming your mate. If Gray catches that scent, it won't matter where you are or what your doing. They'll affect him just as strongly. I tried to fight it just like you at first. I claimed Levy in the dirt like an animal, in the middle of the day behind the guild. I still regret it. I was so rough with her. You'll do the same thing to Gray if you fight it too long. I didn't have anyone to tell me this shit. Don't make the same mistakes I did. Get your head together, get back to the guild and let everyone fawn over you a little. Natsu, we all thought you were dying. Let everyone see you're okay, then bring Gray back here and claim him. Don't be stupid."

 

Claiming Gray would bring back his flames? It didn't matter . Natsu couldn't do that to him, couldn't make a decision that would affect the rest of his life. He didn't argue with Gajeel. Natsu just nodded.

"Just give me some time alone. I'll come back to the guild later, I swear."

"If you don't I'm going to drag you back. Got it?"

"I swear."

Gajeel left and Natsu sighed. He knew what he had to do now. He went to his bedroom and pulled a wooden box out of the back of his closet. It was sealed with a magic lock that only Natsu's fingerprint would open. Natsu opened the box with his thumb, and stared at its contents. Natsu had assembled them years ago, when he was struggling with his impotence. He'd gone in search of cure and found one. Maybe. Sort of. He'd never been willing to pay the cost the spell demanded, but he used to open this box and gaze at its contents. It soothed him to look at them, to know he could do it if he wanted to. 

There was an ancient book with the spell inside, though Natsu had memorized the words long ago. Five large crystals in different colors, red, blue, yellow, green, white. A huge lacrima, filled with magic energy. Natsu's magic wasn't suited for such a spell, so he'd had a transformation mage charge a lacrima for him. The last item was a massive red scale. One of Igneels. _Igneel. I'm sorry._ Natsu once drew comfort from these things, but , without his fire inside him, Natsu felt only cold. For Gray he could do it, though. He would go to Igneel's fire and perform the ritual.

 

Natsu wondered if when his guild mark came off, after so long, would it hurt? He couldn't be a Fairy Tail wizard after this. He would no longer a Dragonslayer, or even a fire mage.

After this, Natsu would just be a human, cold and without magic. And Gray would be free.


	11. Dragon Element

_Natsu sat in the dark, alone, waiting for Igneel to return. He held a flame in his hand without thinking about it, it was second nature to him now. Sometimes he wondered if it stayed on after he fell asleep without meaning to, illuminating his sleeping form. The thought of himself sleeping, unaware, while lit up in the darkness of the forest.... it made him shiver. He hated it when his Father left. Natsu was young, but he wasn't afraid, he was just... lonely. When the great red dragon returned this time, Natsu was crying._

_"Natsu, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"_

_"No. Nothing's wrong."_

_"You're crying."_

_"No I'm not." Igneel chuffed out a reptilian breath, as close to a laugh as dragons got. Natsu was so stubborn. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be a dragon._

_"You don't like it when I leave."_

_"I don't like being alone."_

_Igneel took a deep breath, and blew fire across the floor of the cave, across Natsu. He closed his eyes as he felt the warmth of his father's flames bathing him in heat and light. Anyone else on this earth would roast in this fire. If Natsu was hurt, they healed him. If he was weak, they made him strong. If he was hungry, they fed him. Igneel was Natsu's father. Natsu's mother. Natsu's brother. Most of the flames went out, but some remained in the center of the cave, like someone had made a bonfire._

_"This fire is for you. Whenever I am not with you, you can come here. As long as this fire is burning, you know I am with you. It will give you strength in my absence, and help you find the strength in yourself."_

_Other than his scarf, and his strength, it was the only thing Igneel ever gave him._

They traveled far and wide, but anytime they returned, the fire was still there going strong. Rain, wind, snow, it didn't matter. When Igneel had left him, Natsu had run up the mountains outside of Magnolia, back to the cave. The fire would be out, he was certain. Igneel had left him, was no longer with him. His fire would be ashes and emptiness. When he had finally reached his destination, his breath caught. The fire was still burning, and the light it made lit up more than the forest. It lit Natsu's soul. As Natsu grew up, anytime he felt sad or weak or alone, he would return to this cave and sit in the warmth of Igneel's fire. Always he had gone there for comfort and strength. His feet carried him there eagerly, sure that as soon as he got there, his troubles would be lifted. Now each step he took up the mountainside was pressing down on him. It felt like by the time he reached the fire, he would be crawling on hands and knees, his face in the dirt. Natsu dragged himself forward through sheer force of will. He'd left his scarf at the guild, and couldn't go back for it now. His throat felt exposed and raw. So did his chest, inside. 

When he'd left his house, he'd packed the ritual gear into a bag, crystals, lacrima, Igneel's scale. Natsu sat on his bed and laid down the spellboook, opening it to the page he knew by heart. He traced the dark letters, so thick with ink he could feel them under his fingertips. How many times had he done this very thing, taking comfort from merely possessing it? Now he tried to gather the courage to use it. In the end he left the book as it was, open, waiting. He couldn't pick it up, it made things feel too real. Natsu knew the words, knew they would spring forth like a prayer. When he didn't return to the guild soon, the others would come looking for him, worried about him. Gajeel and Wendy would come, their noses sharp, and track him to these hills. He needed to do this quickly, or it might be too late. As he made his way towards the rocks of the mountainside he knew he had to hurry. It didn't help that his mind was wandering. 

Gajeel had implied that he had a little time before his pheromones activated on him, that he would be able to go see his guild mates for a bit and get back home before he turned into a sex crazed monster. Man, was he _wrong._ Thoughts of Gray filled his head as he trudged onwards. _Gray's soft lips on his. Gray's hot skin pressed up against him. Natsu's fingers in Gray's mouth. Gray moaning his name, boneless underneath Natsu as he plunged into him...._ Fuck. Natsu hadn't been this hard before, even when he had been stroking himself. _Gray's hands on his cock, squeezing.... Gray's mouth taking his length inside._

"Nnnng.... fuck." Natsu rearranged himself in his pants as he climbed. More than once he had suddenly realized he was going the wrong way. His body had turned itself around, feet eating up the distance. Towards the guild instead of away from it. Towards Gray. Now he had to force each step. Upwards he went, even as invisible hands drug him down, coaxing him off his mountain and to his mate. _His mate on his hands and knees, Natsu's teeth buried in his shoulder as he took him from behind, hand reaching around to stroke his shaft..._ God, he'd better get there soon. He was grateful Gray had to smell the pheromones to be affected by them. If Gray was at the guild right now feeling this heat, face flushed and needy, surrounded by others... Juvia might even be back from the job she took after Cana did her reading. Natsu growled aloud at the thought. He would tackle the ice mage in front of everyone... _Take him to the ground, pin his wrists down and savage his mouth._

Shit, this was bad. Natsu reached the end of the overgrown path, and came out into the flat rocky area that opened into the mouth of the shallow cave. In the center of cave burned Igneel's fire. Natsu approached the flames, falling to his knees before it like a supplicant at an altar. He sat on his heels, hands loose at his sides, and stared into the blaze. A disciple on a last pilgrimage to his most holy place. Natsu didn't know if he could come back here after this. Just thinking of it made him feel bruised. Beaten. This would no longer be a place of comfort and memories of belonging. For the rest of his life, it would hurt to even think of these flames. 

If Gray could be free if the shackles Natsu had chained him with, it would be worth it. 

All Natsu had to do was throw the crystals in one by one, in the right order. A representation of the elements. Into the fire next would go Igneel's scale, something that belonged to someone he loved. He didn't have anything of Gray's. If he had, he didn't know if he could burn it, but he knew it would have worked. He loved Gray. His dragon was right, he always had. Gajeel's words came back to him. _You fight because you don't know how to be close to him._ He was right, too. But not about everything. There's no way Gray could love him. Want him, choose him. Natsu couldn't even ask him to. 

When the scale was in the fire, Natsu would read the words as he activated the lacrima. Then came the tricky part. After that Natsu had to walk through the flames. Normally when he came to this fire, he lay down inside it. This time, he had to wait until the right time to do it, after the lacrima activated but before the magic had dissipated. If he hesitated it would be too late. Natsu didn't have his flames anymore. Too much hesitation... He would burn alive in his father's fire. A sob wrenched out of his throat. "Dad, I'm sorry. I miss you so much. I never appreciated what you've given me, the fire I had inside, until it was gone. I never said thank you. So thank you, Igneel. I wish Gray could've seen your fire. I was too scared to show anyone. I came here to be weak, to feel sorry for myself." Natsu let out a dark laugh. "Pretty glad you're not here right now. I think you'd kick my ass." 

Natsu took out his supplies, like offerings for an ancient god. _I guess the real offering is me._ Natsu dreaded walking into that blaze. He knew it was the last time he'd ever feel that sweet heat without being burned. He lifted his left hand to run his fingers over the guild mark on his shoulder. _His mouth licking across the guild mark on Gray's chest, tasting the salt of his skin...._ He had to get on with this before he was too far gone. 

Natsu picked up the crystals and one by one, he threw them in the fire. 

........................................................... 

Gray was by a river. Not a river, the river. The one where Gray and Natsu always fought. A red dragon sat beside it, and Gray's first thought was, _so beautiful._ Breathtaking. It towered above him, crimson scales glittering in the dusk. Around its throat, the scales were rimmed in black, and they faded at the top of its head to a dark pink. The dragon locked its black eyes with Gray's, the red of flames within them. Gray reached out and lay his hand on the dragons face. It pressed its cheek into Gray's hand, a contented rumble rolling out of its throat. "Natsu?" It wasn't a question. Gray could feel it, he knew it like he knew the sun would rise. The dragon spoke without moving its mouth. 

"Gray." He pushed his head into Gray's hand with more force. "Mate. _Mine._ " 

"Yes." Natsu's dragon hadn't asked him anything. It didn't matter. The answer was there anyway. 

"Come to us. We need you now. Wake up." 

Gray woke up with a start, shooting up in bed. He immediately jumped back. 

"Shit, guys, what the hell!" 

Gajeel, Levy, Lucy, Wendy and Happy were all staring at him. 

"Evening, sleeping beauty. We've been trying to wake you up for awhile now. " Gajeel looked faintly amused. Gray realized he still had Natsu's scarf tucked into his face like a prized teddy bear. He sat up and let it rest in his lap, face flaming. 

"Where's Natsu?" 

"That's why we woke you up. He's not here. We're all going to his house to check on him. You should come. Trust me." Levy seemed part of some private joke that Gray was not in on. Gray did not care in the slightest. He wanted to see Natsu, and he wanted to see him now. 

_A mate protects._ That voice that had spoken in his mind before was there again, along with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Something was wrong with Natsu. That dream had been something more. He looked at the mark in his palm. 

"We should go now." Gray stood up and began walking towards the door. 

When the group exited the guild hall, Gray found himself running towards the fire mage's house. 

"Gray!" Lucy called after him as they ran to catch up, Happy flying along beside him. 

"Something's wrong." Gray picked up his pace, noticing only now that he wasn't wearing any shoes. He did not notice because he felt the stones of the road under his feet, but because of the stares he got. The Harvest festival was going on in Magnolia, and the streets were filled with people. Fairy Tail wasn't participating this year with two of its mages injured, but there were still small events going on here and there. A large bonfire was lit by the river from Gray's dream, though no one was there yet. It was just getting dark. 

They ran through the crowds. It wasn't fast enough for Gray. It felt as though all he had done lately was run. Run to catch Dorobo's magic. Run to get to Fairy Tail. Running after Natsu. _My whole, chasing after him, never catching anything but air. Never close enough to feel his heat._

"Gray I'm sure Natsu is fine!" Lucy shouted from the rear of the group. Levy and Gajeel shook their heads right along with the ice mage. 

"If Gray thinks there's something wrong with Natsu there probably is." 

When they got to Natsu's house, no one even knocked. Gray barreled in, the other three mages almost running over him as they piled inside. Happy flew in after them, looking worried. 

"He's not here. Hasn't been for awhile." Gajeel sniffed around as Levy picked up a book on Natsu's bed. 

"That wasn't there when I cleaned here. Natsu doesn't read books anyway." Levy was reading, flipping through pages. 

"Even if he did, it probably wouldn't be old dark magic spellbooks. " 

"What?" Gray and Gajeel gathered around Levy, Wendy and Lucy as they examined it. Gray felt his panic rising. 

_We need you now. A mate protects._ The voice of Natsu's dragon. 

"It was opened to a spell that turns a mage human, takes their magic and abilities away. These pages are more worn than the rest of the book. He looked at it a lot." 

"Why would he want this spell? Why would he want to be human?" 

Gray looked at his palm, suddenly burning in his hand, seeking his attention. _"I can get rid of it, I swear I can."_ A spike of raw adrenaline shot through him. _No._ He had to find Natsu. 

"You said I could find him." Gray looked to Levy and Gajeel, face desperate. 

"Just think about him, picture him in your head. It's easy, usually." 

Gray closed his eyes. _Natsu._ He held his scarf tighter in his hands. Thought of those dark eyes, that bright hair. Strong arms... soft lips... Gray felt a pull in his chest. He could do this. 

Without consciously thinking about it, Gray was running. One more time. Chasing after Natsu. His feet carried him forward, out through the streets, towards the river. He was close. Gray could feel it. The others followed behind him. 

Suddenly, Gray was beside the river, staring into the large bonfire on its banks. This couldn't be right. It felt like Natsu should be there, in the flames. 

"Oh Shit, talk about trial by fire, eh?" Gray looked to Gajeel. 

"Natsu should be here. I can feel him." 

"When a Dragonslayer's mate learns how to use their ability, they can also supposedly travel through their dragon element to get to them if their in danger." 

"Which means what." _A Mate protects._

"The fastest way for you to get to Natsu is to walk through the fire." 

The Oracle's words ran through his head. _"Would you walk through flames?"_ Gray would do whatever it took. To step into this fire was nothing. He would crawl through hell on his hands and knees. Anything for Natsu. 

Gray threw off his jacket without thinking, and wrapped Natsu's scarf around his neck. 

Gray took a deep breath. 

And stepped into the flames. 


	12. Claimed

Natsu still stared into the fire, scale and lacrima in his left hand, unable to act. He must being going crazy, because it seemed like Gray was there in the flames. Natsu could smell him, sense him. A manifestation of his desires. He palmed himself through his pants, trying to focus. What were the words again? A shadow appeared in the center of the blaze.

Then Gray stepped out of the inferno, shirtless, barefoot. Wearing Natsu's scarf. _Shit, that's hot._

"Gray?" 

Gray took Natsu's kneeling form, eyes drawn to the lacrima with its white luminescence. He walked up to Natsu and snatched them both out of his hand. Natsu made no move to resist, just allowed the items to be taken with a pained expression. Gray froze the lacrima in ice and shattered it into pieces with an explosion of light, the magic energy discharged harmlessly into the air. He looked at the scale. It didn't take a genius to figure out it must be Igneel's. Gray froze it as well and then threw it into the back of the cave, attaching it into the wall with his Devil Slayer ice. It was going nowhere.

Natsu stared on mutely, breaths coming in pants. _Take him to the ground._ Gajeel had been right. In that moment, Natsu wanted to take him in the dirt, like an animal. Gray had not yet been affected by Natsu's scent yet. He looked at the Dragonslayer kneeling in front of him, silent and overwhelmed. Gray had just walked out of Igneel's fire. Destroyed his lacrima. Now he stared at Natsu looking absolutely furious. Lit up by the firelight and surrounded by the night, all Natsu could think was, _so beautiful. Mine._

Then Gray punched him in the face.

Natsu flew back from the force and landed on an elbow, throwing the other arm up instinctually in a half-hearted block. 

"Is the thought of being mated to me so repulsive to you? You'd give up your flames, give up your magic, give up your _family,_ just to rid of the mark on your hand?" Gray jumped at Natsu, straddling his hips. Natsu forced air into his lungs, hard as stone. Before Natsu could even struggle under the weight of his instincts, Gray was throwing another right hook at his jaw. Natsu blocked it, but not the two quick left jabs that followed. Natsu reeled back a little from the impact, and tried to sit up underneath Gray. The ice mage pressed a knee into his shoulder, forcing Natsu into the ground and leaning down towards his face. It was obvious when he caught Natsu's scent. His muscles tensed as his eyes left Natsu's to roam down his body and back up again. Gray's mouth fell open just slightly as his breathing became just as ragged as Natsu's. The Dragonslayer couldn't take it anymore, He grabbed Gray's wrists and rolled him over, pinning them above his head. Tears shimmered in Gray's eyes

"You could have your fire back, be stronger than ever. It's better to curse yourself with dark magic than touch me even once?" He thrust his hips up unconsciously, grinding against Natsu. _Mate. Mine. Claim._ Natsu's blood rushed through his head, a dragon's roar.

"I can't do that to you Gray, I can't take everything away from you, no matter how I feel. You never asked for this. Why should you have to deal with this for the rest of your life because of some predestined dragon bullshit? You should be able to choose." _Bite him. Suck him._ He pressed Gray's wrists harder into the earth, eyes glittering with desire.

"I CHOOSE YOU!" Gray was screaming in Natsu's face, twisting underneath him.

_Natsu's on top of me._

"It's only the mating pheromones! It's not real for you!" _It's only real for me. All my life, too stupid to know what I wanted._

"Don't tell me it's not real!" His unshed tears fell now, and Natsu felt himself break in two. _A mate doesn't hurt. A mate protects._ "I love you Natsu! I've always loved you. Before we got these marks on our hands, before any of this." Gray laughed, a dark and broken sound. "The first time I masturbated, my first wet dream, it's always been you Natsu. You don't know how long I've carried this inside."

Natsu's world tilted on it's axis, galaxies shifting position in the skies above him. 

"Choose me too. Even if it's just once, just to get your flames back. Let me make you whole, Natsu. Let me know what it feels like to touch you. _Please._ " The desperation in his voice gouged a hole deep inside Natsu, and around the wound all the warped pieces of himself slipped into place. He let go of Gray's wrists and took his face in his hands. 

"Oh, Gray." Natsu had failed his mate. "No. I can't do that. Not once." Natsu's thumb caressed Gray's cheek as the ice mage's breath caught. "I want you forever. I love you Gray." Gray was falling into a deep hole, and he didn't want to find his way out. Sometimes it was better to be lost.

"I love you too, Natsu."

Natsu pressed his mouth to Gray's, and it was a revelation. _Gray._ Their lips slanted against each other, hot and needy. Natsu pushed into Gray's mouth, and he opened it with a moan. Their tongues battled back and forth, each seeking to take and willing to give. Teeth clacking together, a rough and desperate virgin's kiss. Gray's hands ran up and down the fire mage's back, greedy with pent up desire. There was no space between them and still Gray's fingers dug into flesh, trying to pull Natsu closer. How long had he ached for this? Natsu's arms caged him in, hips thrusting into Gray's with small, instinctive movements.

 _Natsu is kissing me._

Natsu's mouth pulled away from Gray's, and he pulled the scarf away and trailed kisses down to his throat. He kissed and bit, sharp canines digging into Gray's flesh. There would be a bite mark there tomorrow, and Gray was overjoyed at the mere thought of it. He wanted to be covered in them. _Natsu's mark on me._ Natsu's hand trailed down the ice mage's chest and into his pants. When he found Gray's hardness, hot and stiff, they both pulled back with a groan.

"I'm sorry, Gray." Gray thrust himself into Natsu's fist, eyes rolling back in his head. 

"Sorry for what?" He bit out the words, breathy and voiceless, hips moving.

"I can't be gentle with you. I've never done this before, I don't want to hurt you, but... I'm sorry." The words did not inspire fear in Gray. They made him shiver with need. 

"It's okay. Me neither. It's fine." 

"You're a virgin too?"

"I told you I've always loved you. I didn't want anyone else." Gray rocked underneath the fire mage's touch with impatience. He wanted Natsu _now,_ had been waiting an eternity for this.

 _Never touched by anyone but me._ "Mine. Only mine." Natsu bit into Gray's lower lip with a growl, jerking at Grays pants, pulling them down his legs and tossing them aside. When his length was exposed to Natsu's gaze, the Dragonslayer let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Gray's cock stood up for Natsu, hard and throbbing and _begging_ to be tasted. The fire mages own shaft pulsed with desire, and he was grateful for once that he couldn't finish until he entered his mate. One look at Gray, hard and hot and dripping, and Natsu would've come in his pants. He licked the pearlescent drop of seed off the tip before taking Gray deep into his throat, groaning around it as he fumbled at his own hard on through his clothes. _Gray's taste._ Natsu bobbed up and down, forcing Gray's legs wider with each descent. The ice mage's head whipped back and forth. This was the definition of _frenzy._ He choked on a moan, struggling to hold himself together. _Natsu's mouth on me._ Nothing had ever felt this good. Gray wouldn't last long under this assault. His hands fisted themselves in Natsu's pink locks of their own volition, holding him down as Gray thrust into that wet heat. 

"Oh, fuck, N-natsu..."

Natsu had never been with anyone like this, but his instincts screamed at him. He reached up and touched two fingers to Gray's lips in silent demand, not wanting to release his prize. The ice mage sucked them, inside, running his tongue in circles around them. 

_My fingers in Gray's mouth...._

"Nnnn..." Natsu twitched at the sensation, imagining that tongue licking circles around the head of his shaft like he was tonguing Gray's. He pulled his fingers from Gray's mouth and pressed them slowly inside him. Gray jolted from the sudden intrusion, struggling to relax as Natsu thrust the digits in and out of his ass. As he tried to decide if he liked it or not, Natsu pushed deeper inside. Gray jerked in pleasure as Natsu hit a gloriously sensitive place within him, hands tightening in the fire mage's hair. He rolled around mindlessly, making mewling sounds, not sure if he was trying to get closer or farther away. Natsu moved his fingers faster, scissoring them open and closed to stretch Gray wide.

"Nnnnggg... f-fuck Natsu.... mmmm.... I'm gonna come. Hahh...."

Natsu pulled his mouth off of Gray, fingers still moving within him, attacking his sweet spot without mercy. Gray's face was flushed as he panted and gasped, writhing under Natsu's touch. The Dragonslayer had never seen anything so enticing in his entire life. Natsu's name on his lips, the sounds Gray made, were music to his ears. A song he sang that Natsu wanted to wring from him over and over. He would learn this song by heart. His mate was strong, and fierce, and _breathtakingly_ beautiful. No one else would ever see Gray in the throes of ecstasy like this. If anyone tried to lay their hands on him, Natsu would rip them to pieces and eat their fucking bones. This sight was only for him.

"Touch yourself Gray, I want to see you come. I wanna watch you shoot on yourself." 

Natsu's words were too much for Gray. He didn't even have time to grab himself before his body shuddered and gasped. Natsu watched, enraptured, as white ropes of seed shot over Gray's chest and stomach, those sweet sounds coming from his lips as he came. Natsu ran his fingers through the milky liquid, bringing it to his mouth to taste. Before he knew what he was doing he withdrew from him and leaned over Gray, licking the thick fluid off his skin. Natsu would have all of his mate, would not let anything go to waste. _Mine._ Natsu tore his pants off, desperate to have his flesh on Gray.

Natsu brought his mouth up to Gray's and kissed him fiercely on those breathless lips as he positioned his cock at Gray's entrance. _Claim what's mine._ Gray tasted himself on Natsu's tongue and moaned into his mouth. Natsu did not release the kiss as he eased himself inside. The Dragonslayer moved slowly, stretching Gray wide with his length. The ice mage moaned and shifted, trying to adjust to the fire mages prodigious shaft. When Natsu was fully seated within him, he stilled. _Claimed._ The dragon in Natsu roared with the rightness of it, his mate pleasured and taken beneath him. Then he felt his flames erupt from within him, rolling over them like the tide, exploding up and out into the night, then fading. His fire was back. _Made whole._ Their hands burned in unison, marks filling, a levy breaking to let floodwaters pour in. Natsu released Gray's lips and pulled back to look at him.

"Perfect." Natsu ran his thumb over Gray's lips. His nose, his eyes, his cheeks. He followed his fingers with his mouth, placing soft kisses across Gray's face. "You're perfect. I love you, Gray." Gray broke inside. 

"I love you, Natsu."

Natsu leaned down and ran his tongue across Gray's guild mark as he began to move inside of him. His mouth latched onto the ice mage's nipple. _Oh, fuck._ Gray's hands were everywhere, in Natsu's hair, on his back, his neck. He did not know what to do with them, wanted to touch all of Natsu at once. _Natsu's inside me._ The Dragonslayer was right. This was perfect. Natsu wanted to be easy with Gray, but it was no use. His slow movements came faster and faster, and soon he was pounding into his mate, growling like an animal as he took him. He felt Gray's cock hard between them and took it in his fist as his teeth found Gray's neck again. Natsu held Gray in place with his bite while he savaged him with his thrusts. His hand flew up and down Gray's length, stroking him without mercy as he fucked his mate viciously. 

"Nnnng.... N-natsu..." Natsu growled into Gray's neck in answer, hips slamming him into the earth. Time stood still. Natsu tasted blood in his mouth, and it tasted so _sweet._ Gray didn't even notice as he shuddered underneath Natsu. Underneath his _mate. Mine,_ Gray thought. "Natsu, I'm gonna come again. Soon."

Natsu growled again, finally releasing his grip on Gray's throat. Drops of blood dripped from his bite, and he licked them up with a groan.

"M-me too."

Natsu's tempo increased, harder and quicker. Gray moaned underneath him, muscles starting to tense. Natsu felt pressure he'd never felt before, building up at the base of his spine. Energy swirled inside him, stomach tight and jerking.

"Fuck... oh fuck..." Natsu felt overwhelmed, tears pricking his eyes. Closer. Closer. He slammed into his mate. Harder. Faster. _Closer._ "Fuck... Gray!"

"Natsu!"

Natsu's vision danced with stars as he came, shooting his hot seed into his mate as he felt some of Gray's cum land on his chest. He filled him up as they came together, thrusting and jerking. Finally he stilled, but he did not withdraw from the ice mage. Eyes closed, he rubbed his face against Gray's, searching for his lips. He found his mouth and kissed him, slow and deep and gentle. Natsu never wanted to stop. He delved between his lips and explored with his tongue, passionate and relentless. The Dragonslayer withdrew and rolled to his side, putting his arms around his mate and cradling Gray into his chest.

"I'm so sorry." His fingers traced the bleeding bites on Gray's neck. "I hurt you. I'll make it up to you." Gray's arm rested across Natsu's chest, hand moving in slow circles across the cut muscles there.

"Don't apologize to me for that. For any of that. I've been waiting for that my whole life. I thought it could never happen." Gray was mumbling, exhausted. Barely there. The emotion in Gray's voice ate at Natsu. He gathered his mate in his arms, princess style, snatched up his scarf, and carried him to the back of the cave behind Igneel's fire where they would be more protected from the elements. He laid Gray down close enough to the flames that he wouldn't get cold, and kissed him again. A chaste kiss, lips closed, eyes open.

"I'm sorry I made you wait for so long, Gray. I'm never letting you go now." Natsu laid his head down and pulled his mate into his arms. He was so tired, half in sleep already. "Even if you tire of me, I don't care. I'll chase you to the ends of the earth to drag you back to my bed and show you who you belong to."

It made Gray want to run, just so Natsu would chase him. _Natsu chasing after him._

They fell asleep bathed in the light of Igneel's fire, tired, and happy, and whole.


	13. Afterglow

Dorobo sat deep in the forest outside the remains of his hideout. His apprentices had told him to release that boy's flames after he'd come back home spitting blood. The dark mage had taken the fire of countless wizards before, but it was nothing like this. His hands intermittently spouted fire of their own accord, and even when he did not shoot random flames, his body radiated heat. None of the other elemental abilities he had claimed would work. He could not even summon the wind, which was the power he was born with. Son of a shaman, born of the wind tribe, and still this fire overtook everything. Even Tomo, the water mage who had been with him from the beginning, thought it was too much for him. She told him it would rip him apart before he learned to master it. As he lay bedridden for days, bleeding from his mouth and seizing violently, he thought she might be right. He would give it another day or two, and if he couldn't tamp down the energy, he would release the fire. It was a shame he couldn't store it in a lacrima, keep it from it's original owner, but no matter what he'd tried in practice, once he released a power, it returned to it's source without fail and revived them. This was too much strength for someone who called Dorobo his enemy, and he wanted to keep it out of their hands. 

He'd fallen asleep wondering if he would be bested by a pink haired boy and his dragonfire, and woken up at dusk, surrounded by an inferno. Instinctively he ran, trying and failing to summon water, wind, ice, anything to put out the flames. Tripping over the charred bodies of his apprentices, he made his way outside before he realized the fire was coming from him. He managed to slow the blaze and bring the magic back inside him, but everything else was still burning. When he exited the fiery cabin he saw Tomo, cradling the body of one of the younger female apprentices, the water mage's blue hair falling down around her face as she wept. Dorobo thought the girl was 14. He couldn't be sure, could never keep them straight, but Tomo had always had a soft spot for this particular one. She said the girl reminded her of her daughter that had joined the Rune Knights and been killed in action. It was why Tomo had joined him in the first place on his mission to destroy the Magic Council. She looked up at him now with rage in her eyes.

 

"I told you, Doro. I told you to let it go, release those flames. I said it would rip you apart. I wish it had. Better you ripped apart than all of them. Better to see you dead than this! They were children, they idolized you, and you couldn't even remember their goddamned names! Now they're dead because of you!" Tomo laid the girl's body down on the ground and took off her coat, covering the lifeless form.

 

"So is it only you now, Tomo? No one else made it out?"

 

"No, Doro. It is only you." 

 

Tomo disappeared into a fine mist, vanishing up into the air, and he knew he would never see her again, which was a pity. He needed a strong water mage to Unison Raid with, otherwise he couldn't use his Hurricane Summons, and he needed that spell. Dorobo needed to act quickly. 

 

Suddenly, he doubled over in pain, like a blade had been buried inside his chest and was tearing it's way out. He'd felt this before, in reverse. Fire shot out of his body and up into the air, and all the pain he'd been in these past few days was gone, not even a memory. In his minds eye he saw a flash of a dragon, huge and red and malevolent. It was gone just as quickly.

 

 _Dragonslayer._ No one else had been able to reclaim their magic, or even live more than a few moments after being hit with the Nottoru. The Dragonslayer found his mate. He remembered his father teaching him the spell, telling him it's strengths and weaknesses, that a Dragonslayer's mate could reverse the magic. Dorobo had thought it a myth, but he had thought the Dragonslayers to be myth until they'd reappeared recently. Rage suffused the dark wizard. That's why he had targeted the ice mage. He hadn't wanted to steal dragon magic, it was too volatile and unknown. He'd never expected the wizard to sacrifice himself for his friend. Then the little fire mage had taken back his power, moments after it had destroyed everything Dorobo had built. He'd lost his apprentices, lost Tomo, because he tried to hold onto to that dragonfire. Then, after all that, he lost his prize too? 

He recalled the look on the Dragonslayer's face as he raced to intercept the spell. Utter determination, not a trace of hesitation or fear as he ran to embrace death. _The ice wizard was more than his friend. He was his mate._ Wind began to howl around Dorobo, and it felt good. That fire wizard had taken everything from him, and he would not leave such a debt unpaid. He had told the ice mage he wanted to meet his friends, and he needed a powerful water mage. 

 

He knew just where to find one.

 

.........................................................................

 

 

Soft sounds and a gentle rocking pulled Gray towards awareness. He was warm, his hips ached, his neck was sore, and he felt... happy. Content. Gray pried his tired eyes open, and was glad he had done so. Natsu straddled his hips naked with his arousal in hand. He touched himself, agonizingly slowly, staring straight into Gray's eyes now. The ice mage was already hard, probably had been since before he woke up. He always was in the morning. Natsu's gaze glittered with heat.

 

"Morning, sexy." Natsu's voice was full of gravel as he spoke. Last night flooded back to Gray in astonishing clarity. _Natsu's mine now._

 

"Natsu." Gray cleared his throat, blushing slightly. "Don't call me that."

 

"But you are. I've never woken up hard before." His fist went up and down, eyes roaming down Gray's body to his hips and back again. "Never touched myself like this before. Never watched myself come." Natsu took Gray's right hand and brought it to his mouth, never breaking eye contact, and ran his tongue across his mate mark before kissing the middle of his palm. "I wanna do it with you. Touch yourself for me, Gray." Natsu laid his palm on the back of Gray's hand and wove their fingers together. He then wrapped their joined hands around Gray's cock, and started to stroke.

 

"Nnnn...." Gray moaned. He'd never been so happy to be awake before the sun rose. 

 

"I woke up, hard, nose full of your scent. I can _smell_ you on my skin, can smell myself all over you. I could feel you next to me and when I looked at you I saw my bites on your neck and _this._ " Natsu's hand squeezed Gray's tighter on his own shaft before releasing it. "It's beautiful." Gray continued to pump his fist up and down. 

 

"D-don't call me beautiful." Gray fought back the sounds that wanted to come out of his throat. Natsu smiled at him, full of dark mischief.

 

"But you are. Haahh.." Natsu's muscles tensed as he increased his pace. "Mmmmm.... shit, it's so good." The fire mage bit his lip, panting and breathless as he looked at his mate. His cheeks were flushed, a sheen of sweat covering his chest. Just looking at him like this was sending Gray close to the edge. His free hand was on Natsu's hip, squeezing, then tracing across his abdomen. He needed to touch him, make sure this was real. Natsu leaned over Gray and braced himself on the ground, wrist flying.

 

"Gray. F-fuck, _Gray._ "

 

Natsu watched in disbelief as his seed shot out of himself. Countless times he'd wondered what it would be like, imagining how it felt. Watching his cum arcing over Gray, landing on his chest, his stomach, was better than his wildest imaginings. Natsu's face as he came sent Gray over the edge too, and they jerked and shuddered out the last of their climaxes. They both caught their breath for a moment, eyes closed, a haze of bliss hanging over them. Natsu leaned down and kissed Gray's lips, running his fingers through his mate's dark hair. Gray felt suddenly shy as Natsu's eyes roamed over his face. The fire mage was still playing with Gray's hair as he spoke.

"Thank you." Gray looked at Natsu, puzzled.

"What are you thanking me for? I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did. Watching you touch yourself.... you're so fucking sexy."

"I said don't call me that." Natsu silenced Gray with another kiss, and pulled back smirking.

"You're wasting your breath."

"You're awfully cocky." Natsu's hand in his hair felt good. He wanted to push his head into it like a cat. Just the thought embarrassed him. He fought the urge to run his fingers through Natsu's hair too. _You don't have to fight it. You can touch him now._ Gray's throat felt tight as he reached out and sifted his fingers through pink locks. He hadn't noticed how soft it was before when he'd buried his hands in it.

"I'm always cocky." Natsu was engrossed, rubbing strands of Gray's hair between his fingertips, then pressing his face to it and breathing in. He leaned into Gray's hand on his own head, as Gray had wanted to. _Always brave where I am not._ He finally looked back to meet Gray's gaze. "There's a river near here. Let's grab our clothes and go wash off. Then we can start back. It's still night, but it'll take awhile to get back. We should try to get back before morning when the streets get busy. " 

"Why?" Gray was barefoot and had Natsu's bites on his throat, but what did he care what strangers thought of him? 

"I don't want anyone to see you yet. It's like... giving you away. I want to sneak you home in the dark of night and hide you away from the world. I want to keep you all to myself, hoard you like gold."

Gray shivered as his face heated to a brilliant crimson, and he had to look away from that earnest gaze. _"This dragon wants his treasure."_

"Let's go."

Gray was sore and achy, but he could stand, though his legs felt liquid underneath him. They hadn't slept more than a few hours, and he was still tired. He retrieved Igneel's scale and put it in Natsu's bag as the fire mage gathered their clothes. Natsu snatched Gray up and began to carry him down the steep slope towards the river.

"Put me down! What the hell!"

"You can't walk the whole way home. Would you rather me carry you like this now or through the streets of Magnolia?"

"Who says I can't walk the whole way, I'm fine!"

"You're legs were shaking."

"They were not!"

"You're so stubborn."

"You're one to talk."

"Snowflake."

"Matchstick!" Gray looked up to see a ridiculous smile on Natsu's face. He was enjoying this, that bastard. 

"You're too easy, Gray." 

Gray his his face in Natsu's scarf as they descended the rough terrain to the river. He could object to Natsu carrying him in principle, but being pressed against him, sleepy and satiated and cared for felt too good for him to put up much of a fight for the moment. They reached the water and waded in to rinse off, making short work of it. 

"It's a shame to rinse my scent off of you." He would just have to mark Gray with his scent once they got back. Part of Natsu wanted to drag his mate into deeper water and take him again, with the river flowing around them, but he didn't want to hurt Gray. They climbed out and Natsu threw his arms around Gray from behind with a grin.

"Watch this."

Flames erupted around them, and all Gray could think was _home._ It was not too hot, just warm and relaxing, and Gray thought that this must be what it felt like in the womb. Warm and safe and loved. The fire danced around them, swelling and surging before dying back down. Gray realized he was completely dry other than a little dampness in his hair. Gray felt one of those ridiculous smiles on his own face now. To be a part of Natsu's fire and not be burned was more than he had even thought to ask for. Gray turned around and held out his hand.

"Watch _this._ "

Gray thought of Natsu, and the fire that danced in his eyes. Flames shot from his hands in a brilliant arc before Gray closed his fist and dissipated them. Natsu's eyes were wide with childlike glee.

"Oh my God, do that again." Gray obliged, pumping more magic into it this time, fire shooting high into the sky. Natsu laughed out loud as he tackled Gray to the ground, kissing him roughly. "I can't decide if that's awesome or just hot. My fire coming out of your hands makes you mine in ways that nothing else could. Fuck, I _like_ that." Gray could tell he did, could feel Natsu pressing into him, already hard again. "We need to get you home soon or I don't know what I'll do." Natsu's eyes lit up again with realization. "I can do it too, can't I?"He dragged them both up to their feet and held out his hand. Natsu remembered when he was first learning magic as a child, that he had to visualize. He thought of Gray's ice, and willed it from his palm. An icy blast shot from his hand and into the air. Natsu laughed again, excited. Gray had not expected the way it would make him feel inside to see Natsu using his ice. He understood what he meant now. That most basic part of Gray, his magic, pouring out of the Dragonslayer's hand... Gray liked it too. Natsu belonged to him now. 

Natsu let Gray walk, after much protest on the ice mage's part. They began to make their way back to Magnolia, lit up by moonlight and a sprinkling of stars. 

After a few steps, Natsu reached out and took Gray's hand.


	14. Rise and Shine

Dorobo had gotten to the outskirts of Magnolia quickly, making the earth do his bidding and pull him there through the forests. He rode a slab of stone the way a surfer rode waves. Everyone knew of Fairy Tail and their Dragonslayers and mages. Sorcerer's Weekly was featuring them constantly, with all sorts of information that was useful to the dark mage. The publication had helped him track down countless elementals in his quest, and allowed him to be informed about his enemies. He already knew Fairy Tail had a water mage and thanks to an interview with her in the magazine, he also knew she was desperately in love with an ice wizard. There was only one ice user in Fairy Tail, and if Dorobo's instincts were correct, he was now mated to the fire Dragonslayer. His instincts were never wrong. Fate was being kind to Dorobo, and he could only smile as he watched the water mage get off the train, ready to head back to her guild from a job. _Juvia._ Her name was Juvia, and Dorobo could sense her power from here. Cloaking himself in shadows, he followed the girl through the streets. Dorobo knew better than to attack the guild directly right now. He needed to stack the deck in his favor before raining his fury down on the town. And who better to help him with that than the rain woman? The skies were clear and shining. There was no way that this girl knew her ice mage had been mated to a dragon.

He gathered magic in his palm, dark and twisting. The wind mage had many different types of magic now, though he could not employ very many at once. This spell would do his work for him and he could sense that it would work especially well on this little water sprite. The magic would pull the darkness out of her, bringing all her negative emotions to the forefront, jealousy, anger, hopelessness. She had not always been this pure hearted Fairy wizard, had once wielded her water against them. She would do so again, he was sure of it. Dorobo let the spell fly, and Juvia did not even notice as shadows enveloped her, pouring into her very being to rest in the darkest corners of her soul. The magic also had a tracker in it, would mark her, allowing Dorobo to sense where she was and what she was feeling. When the time was right, he would come to her with all the answers. 

Then, they could both have their vengeance.

...............................................................................

Gray lay in his bed fighting off the sleep that threatened to take him. He didn't want to miss a moment of this, it felt like a sacrilege to surrender to his exhaustion. Natsu was wrapped around him, naked, arms curled around his chest. Natsu's face buried in his hair, leg thrown over Gray's own. He could feel Natsu's breath on the skin of his neck, sensitive where his bites were. When he thought of the marks fading, he felt sad. Gray wanted to wear Natsu's kiss on his throat everywhere, wanted to feel the stares of people as he passed by, reminding him. _He belonged to Natsu._ His mate snored quietly, just as tired as Gray. Those soft sounds in his ear made him feel strange inside, too full, as though he would burst. They'd come to Gray's house at Natsu's insistence, and he'd carried Gray over the threshold like a bride, smiling like an idiot before kissing him breathless. Gray had wanted to go straight to bed, but Natsu wouldn't allow it.

"I need to feed you, and give you water, and wash you, and dry you. I can't let you go to sleep yet. I have to care for you."

"I'm so tired Natsu."

"I need to. Please, just let me." He had not been able to refuse the pleading expression on Natsu's face.

So the fire mage had brought him food and drink, and after they'd eaten he ran a hot bath. They had both been hard as Natsu washed them, but the Dragonslayer acted as though he didn't notice. He washed Gray slowly, rubbing the sore muscles of his neck and shoulder, careful of Gray's bruises. When they'd gotten out, Gray was boneless, tension drained out of him. Natsu engulfed them in flames again, and Gray smiled. He loved to be swallowed by Natsu's fire, wanted to be consumed by him in every way possible. They piled into Gray's bed and Natsu had curled around his mate, planting kisses over his love bites before stilling. Gray was full and clean and, mostly, sated. Natsu could rest now. He'd fallen asleep almost instantly, soothed by the presence of his mate. Natsu's skin was everywhere, and he embraced Gray so tightly in sleep that the ice mage couldn't move an inch. He didn't want to. He could stay like this forever.

It still felt too good to be true to Gray. Natsu had kissed him, touched him, lavished affection on him. Natsu had made love to him, cleaned him and fed him and carried him to bed. Sleep finally took Gray, and as it did he prayed that when he opened his eyes, Natsu would still be there. That all this was real, and not just another dream.

 

Gray awoke before Natsu, sunlight filtering through the windows to shine on a truly beautiful sight. He extricated himself from the tangle of his limbs to look at him. How many times had Gray watched Natsu sleep? He did not have to worry about being caught staring, could look his fill. It went against instincts he had ingrained in himself long ago to protect himself. Because he had been a coward. It did not matter now. Natsu made him strong, made him brave.

_Natsu is in my bed._

Natsu's hair was a mess, pink strands sticking out even more than usual. His mouth was open slightly, breathing deep and even. As his eyes greedily took him him, he saw Natsu's arousal and felt himself get hard just looking at it. He realized that he had not even touched it last night. Natsu had devoured him whole and he hadn't had a chance to explore the Dragonslayers body. He had spent year after year wanting Natsu, wanting to feel him, wanting to taste him. Gray saw a drop of seed shining at the tip of Natsu's cock, and he began to salivate . He did not think, just bent down and took Natsu into his mouth.

.....................................................................................

Natsu felt _wonderful._ He could smell Gray everywhere, was inundated with the scent of pine and snow and mate. Natsu felt warmth wrap around his shaft. Weaving through the fog of sleep, he wondered if this was a wet dream. No. It was too hot, too wet.... too good.

Natsu opened his eyes and blinked slowly, willing them to focus. He needed to see this clearly, needed to burn it in his memory. Gray was running his tongue up Natsu's shaft before sucking it into his mouth. 

"Nnnnngh.... Gray." Gray looked up at him and blushed, and Natsu almost came then and there. Gray ran his hand over Natsu's stomach as he bobbed up and down. His other hand gripped Natsu's shaft, holding it in place as he licked and sucked. Natsu's hands fisted themselves in the ice mages hair. 

"So fucking good." He fought with everything he had, trying not to fuck that sweet mouth. 

Gray moaned around Natsu's cock and pulled his hand off the fire mages skin to take his own shaft in hand and pull. Natsu felt too good in his mouth. Natsu watched himself disappear into Gray's lips, in and out. The ice mage looked beautiful to Natsu, mouth full of his flesh, black hair falling over his face.

"Let me touch you too. Move up here."

Gray moved himself parallel to Natsu, not releasing his hold on the Dragonslayer's length. When he was close enough, Natsu wrapped his hand around Gray and started to stroke. Gray moaned again.

"Mmmmmmm.... it feels good when you do that. I'll have to make you moan some more."

Natsu tightened his grip on Gray's cock, stroking faster. He was rewarded with groans that vibrated along his shaft. Gray began to shift restlessly, body trying to go too many places at once. Natsu's hand tightened in Gray's hair, thrusting into his mouth. He couldn't help himself.

"Look at me." Gray met Natsu's eyes as he sucked, face blushing fiercely. He looked away quickly, unable to hold Natsu's gaze for long. "Gray. Let me see your face." Gray glanced up at him again, every instinct telling him to turn away. Natsu's eyes burnt into him. The fire mage bit his bottom lip as he stared into Gray's eyes, breath coming faster now. Gray's lids slammed shut, overwhelmed by the Dragonslayer's intense gaze. Fuck, he was going to finish before Natsu. Those fiery orbs felt too good on him. He could feel them watching even with his eyes closed. Gray took Natsu deep into his throat as the fire mage stroked Gray faster . Natsu could tell he was close.

"Keep sucking while you come. Don't take it out."

"Mmmmm.." Gray tried to pull back and protest. What if he bit him by accident? Natsu tightened his grasp, both on Gray's hair and his length, forcing himself deeper into Gray's mouth.

"Come with your mouth full of my cock, Gray. I wanna feel the sounds you make on it."

"Nnnnnnn." Gray tried to withdraw again, to no avail. He didn't want to hurt Natsu somehow, but the Dragonslayer's tone brooked no argument.

"Yeah, just like that. Moan for me with that sexy mouth. Haaahhh..."

Natsu's hand flew on Gray's cock, and when his thumb pressed over that wet slit, it was over. Gray gasped around Natsu's shaft, body twisting and jerking as his cum shot out over his chest and abs. Natsu held his head in place, not gagging him but not allowing him to pull off either. He thrust unconsciously into Natsu's hand, choking and moaning around that delicious mouthful, sounds vibrating on Natsu's cock. Saliva dripped from the corners of his lips, his face shining and flushed. 

"Fuck, now Gray ... I'm-"

He couldn't even finish his sentence before he came. Gray latched on, swallowing every jet of seed that shot into his mouth. 

"Nnnngh, God, G-gray......... "

Gray smiled inside as Natsu babbled incoherently, eyes rolled back while he thrust into Gray's eager mouth. When he finally settled, Gray released his shaft and looked up at Natsu, who held Gray's head and took in the sight greedily. Face blushing, breathing ragged, black hair a mess. Drool leaked out of his mouth, along with some of Natsu's own fluid. He pulled the ice mage up to his face and licked it up before pressing their lips together. Natsu licked at Gray's tongue, kissing him deeply, mouths battling. When he finally released Gray, he smiled broadly.

"Shit, that was perfect. Thank you."

Gray grinned back, feeling stupid with happiness. He grabbed the sheet and cleaned himself off before laying next to the fire mage with his head on his chest. Natsu's hands traced slow circles on his back, feeling the muscles underneath his hands, strong and taut. Gray did the same thing across Natsu's stomach, reveling in the fact that he could now reach out and take what he wanted. Gray was reluctant to break the silence, but he knew they had things that needed to be addressed.

"We need to clean up and go to the guild and let everyone know you're okay. They're probably freaking out right now, worried about you." Natsu sighed.

"You're probably right. Plus, we need to tell everyone about us." Gray tensed at his words, and Natsu felt the stress in his shoulders. Natsu looked down, a question in his eyes. "You don't want to tell them?"

"No, it's not... I just... ah, fuck. I've been struggling for years to keep anyone from knowing how I felt about you. I was always terrified they'd find out. Even though I know I don't have to now, the thought of telling them makes me feel nervous. Like I'm doing something wrong. Plus I didn't know if you would want to tell them or not."

"Why would I not want to tell them?"

"I don't know. We're both guys. It's weird, right? That's what I've been telling myself my whole life." Natsu sat up and took Gray's face in his hands, holding his gaze.

"Gray, we're not weird. Okay well, maybe we're weird, in general. But there is nothing weird about us loving each other. I'm sorry that I was stupid, and didn't realize my feelings until it was almost too late. I'm sorry for making you hurt all these years without knowing it, and then running away from you and hurting you all over again. I will make it up to you, somehow. But I'm done being an idiot now. At least about this." He smiled, and it was like the sun, too bright to look at for very long. "And I am so fucking excited to tell everyone how much I love you. That you're mine. So let's go."

Gray fought it, he really did, but it was no use. He started to cry.


	15. Fire vs. Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A seiza is a traditional Japanese way of sitting. It's used in tea ceremonies, martial arts, and in some situations to show respect. In this situation, it pretty much means 'please don't kill us.' If you've never seen the 'bowing/seiza with someone holding someone's head down' you're clearly not watching enough anime, and you should get on that.
> 
> I think that's all, you may proceed.

After Gray calmed down some, and felt like a total girl for crying like that, the pair cleaned up a little before heading out. Natsu's clothes were filthy, so he put on some of Gray's to wear to the guild, though he left his feet bare. They could've gone to his house, but everyone at Fairy Tail was already going to want to murder him for letting them worry about him this long. Gray just stared for a moment.

"What? Do I look weird?" Natsu looked at himself, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

"You're wearing my clothes. It's just... really hot, for some reason. I wanna take them right back off you." He had spoken without thinking and Gray couldn't believe what had just come out of his mouth, but it was worth it because then _Natsu blushed._

"Shut up. Let's go." 

"I guess I'm into cosplay. Wanna wear a maid outfit for me?" Natsu threw a punch at Gray's shoulder, which he dodged. 

Gray didn't even tease him any more, just reveled in the fact that Natsu was not impervious to him. They headed off towards the guild, and Natsu was visibly excited. After only about a dozen steps, Natsu reached out and took Gray's hand, smiling.

"This is going to take some getting used to." Gray was overwhelmed. Natsu just laughed.

"Is it bad? I'm getting on your nerves already, snowflake?" He said it with that cocky smile that made Gray's stomach twist.

"It's not bad." He squeezed his hand back. "I like it. I just never thought you'd be so... affectionate."

"Why would I not be? I love you. Also, I've gone my entire life not really understanding what the whole romance thing was about. I mean, I loved Igneel, and I love my guild, but it's not like this. Not like I love you. I understand now. I spent so long fucking this up, hurting you, it makes me feel like shit. I don't want to hold back any now. I don't want you to have to wonder how I feel, I want to show you." This Dragonslayer would be the end of him. 

They had made it most of the way towards the guild when they heard girls shrieking. Oh shit. _Fangirls._

"Oh my God, it's the Salamander! I thought he was dead!" A group of three girls ran up to them, chattering with each other. One of them laid her hand on Natsu's arm and leaned in. Natsu backed away, but she moved with him.

"What happened to you? I thought you'd been killed by that dark wizard!" 

"I'm so glad you're alive! We should go celebrate!"

"Come eat with us, our treat! I can't believe we met you here! You're so cute!" Another of them reached out to touch Natsu's hair. Natsu still held Gray's hand. The girls were oblivious. Gray smacked her arm away and pulled Natsu behind him.

"Keep your hands to yourself. He's taken." The girls pouted at that.

"None of your Fairy girls are around right now, what they don't know won't hurt them!" They tried to reach around Gray to touch Natsu's scarf.

"He's with me!" Gray shouted, loudly. People walking nearby were slowing to watch the scene. The girls took in Gray and the bites on his neck, smirking.

"You can't be serious." Natsu put his arms around Gray's waist from behind, resting his chin on Gray's shoulder. The ice mage relaxed a little as Natsu answered them.

"Totally serious."

"I don't believe it. If you don't want to hang out with us you could just say so." Natsu smiled, then stuck out his tongue and licked up the side of Gray's neck over the bruised bite marks there. The girls' eyes widened as Gray closed his eyes, shuddering. The girls left without another word, glancing back and muttering to themselves. Natsu and Gray continued on their way, the Dragonslayer smirking.

"Did you have to lick me?"

"Hey, it worked, they left. And I like licking you. That was hot, Gray. I thought you were going to fistfight a bunch of girls for a second there." Natsu was getting turned on thinking about Gray being jealous over him. It wasn't only him that wanted Gray all to himself, and that made him incredibly happy.

"They were trying to touch you!"

"Oh, I didn't say you shouldn't do it. It made me happy. If fucking Juvia tries to so much as look at you for too long I am going to put her on her ass." Gray felt exhausted at the mere mention of the water mage. Years of blatant rejection had done nothing to deter her attentions. When she found out, she wasn't going to just accept it quietly, and Gray wasn't sure how she or Natsu would react. There could be blood and it wouldn't be Natsu's.

"Maybe she won't be back yet and we can deal with her later. God she's tiresome."

"I hope she is there." Natsu's eyes glinted dangerously. "I want to set her straight." Gray felt stones in his gut. He knew Natsu was right, and he wanted to be rid of Juvia's bullshit too, but he didn't look forward to violence between his guild mates, no matter how necessary it might be. They made the rest of the trip to the guild in silence, Natsu's mind working over dark thoughts. When they reached the outside of the guild hall, Gray stopped and looked at his feet.

"You okay?" Gray didn't answer. His stomach was in knots, heart beating like crazy. He was so nervous, and he didn't even know why. Gray knew damn well no one in the guild was going to judge them, or think badly of them, that's not how their friends were. Sure they might tease them a little, that was to be expected, but no one would be malicious. Even knowing this, he still couldn't quell his unease. Gray had been working to hide himself away for so long, it was hard to reverse overnight.

"Hey. Look at me." Gray looked up to meet Natsu's eyes. "It's fine. It's Fairy Tail. They're family." Gray nodded, taking a deep breath. Natsu pulled him into a tight hug, rubbing his back. 

"Let's go." Natsu took Gray's hand, and they stepped into the guild hall. It took a few moments before anyone noticed that they had come in, but when they did, the entire guild descended on them. Happy flew over to Natsu and hugged him, telling him how much he missed him and how many fish he owed him for making him worried. He did not bat an eye at the two's closeness. Natsu hugged him back with one arm, not releasing his hold on Gray's hand. The ice mage was grateful, he needed Natsu's strength right now. Otherwise he might run screaming from the guild. Everyone circled around them, alternating between scolding Natsu and asking if he was okay. Happy flew off to harass Carla some more, now that he knew Natsu was okay.

"Hey everybody, I'm sorry for worrying you guys, and I wanted to thank you for taking care of us. I'm fine now, and I got my magic back, thanks to Gray."

"Thanks to Gray?" Mira asked as she and Lucy approached them. "Why are you wearing Gray's clothes?"

"He fixed me. Gray is my mate. We're together." Natsu lifted Gray's hand up and kissed it before hugging Gray close to him. Gray blushed furiously, ready to melt into the floor. Mirajane squeezed both of them, squealing aloud.

"Your mate? Like Levy and Gajeel? That's so adorable! Gray look at you blushing! Oh God! Reedus! You've gotta paint this! It's too cute!" Lucy and Mira were chattering at each other, as was everyone else in the guild. The two girls crooned over the pair. Not everyone knew that Levy and Gajeel were mates, or even what a mate was. They were assailed with questions.

"No fucking way." Laxus walked up smirking, with the Freed and Bickslow behind him. "Really? You two?" Natsu bristled. If anyone was going to talk shit, it would probably be Laxus.

"You got something to say about it, Laxus? I will smash your face in if I don't like what it is."

"You couldn't smash my face in if you tried. I'm just relieved. I thought you had a crush on me." It was Gray's turn to take offense.

"Like Natsu would want you, spark plug! Don't be so full of yourself."

Freed blushed and walked up to Natsu and Gray, muttering a congratulations before walking out of the guild. Laxus watched him go with a troubled expression.

"I'm not going to fuck with you today, hothead. Not when you're fresh out of the morgue. I'm glad you two princesses got together. No one else should have to put up with either of you." Laxus followed Freed out of the guild without another word. Bickslow high fived them both before trailing after Laxus like a lost puppy. Wendy came running up and jumped at Natsu, hugging him and not letting go.

"Natsu I'm so happy you're okay! I wanted to tell you I was sorry! I tried to help you and in the end I could barely do anything at all!" Wendy had tears in her eyes.

"Oh Wendy, you did great! Gray says you saved me, that I would be dead without you! I'm sorry for being stupid and scaring you guys! Don't cry!"

"It was scary! Don't ever scare me like that again, Natsu-nii." Wendy finally released him.

"I won't. I swear."

Then without warning, Erza was there, dark aura swirling around her. Wendy took off quickly, and Mira and Lucy backed away, trying to escape the fallout of whatever was about to happen.

"Uh... Hi Erza." Gray gulped.

"So. Lucy, Wendy, Gajeel, and Levy knew all about this."

"Y-yes?" Natsu pulled Gray behind him instinctively. A mate protects, and this was Erza. She was scary as hell on her best days.

"Even Happy knew. He's a cat."

"Technically, he's an Exceed." 

"And no one thought to tell me?"

"In my defense I was in a coma." He cringed after he said the words, unwittingly putting blame on his mate felt wrong. He wanted to snatch the words back into his mouth.

"Gray?"

"Errr...."

"Sting and Rogue knew as well. They're not even in our guild, and they knew before I did, and I am your teammate. I had to threaten Lucy and Gajeel to tell me what was going on." Sting and Rogue were at the bar, and they studiously looked away to investigate the table, the walls.... anything but the armored mage. Erza seemed bigger than usual, looming over the pair in an ominous way.

Gray grabbed Natsu and pulled him down to the floor into a seiza. He put his hand on Natsu's head and held it down, keeping his own eyes on the floor.

"We're very sorry, Erza. We didn't mean to keep it from you. It'll never happen again." Her eyes sparked with anger, but then she nodded.

"See that it doesn't." The pair got up hesitantly, wondering how long they should prostrate themselves, and Erza pulled them into a crushing hug. "I am truly happy for you two. Maybe now you'll stop fighting all the time and I won't have to kick your asses anymore." They were glad when she released them and they could actually take in air again.

"I'm pretty sure you'll find some other reason to do it. You seem to like it."

"Gray!"

"It's true!"

Cana walked over from the bar, not as drunk as she usually was. Natsu felt touched that she had been holding back in worry for him. 

"You two are really together, eh?" Natsu wrapped him arms around Gray's waist from behind in answer, locking his fingers over the ice mage's stomach. Gray's face flushed again, and he felt like such a girl for the second time today, but still he covered Natsu's hands in his, unable to lift his eyes. He was an incredibly powerful ice make wizard, he could kick anyone's ass in here, save maybe Gildarts and the master, who were nowhere to be seen at the moment. _When did Natsu turn me into such a blushing little bitch?_ He'd never been shy like this. "Damn, that's hot. Look at those bite marks, Natsu is kinky. Can I watch?" Gray's mouth dropped open and he couldn't find words.

"Fuck no you can't watch! Like I'd let you see my mate like that. I like you, Cana, but I'll set your booze on fire and throw it at you." Cana pouted at Natsu's words.

"Well, maybe we can all get drunk together and see what happens." She patted them both on their heads affectionately. Gray wasn't sure if she was serious or not.

Suddenly Makarov appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Okay everyone! Natsu is alive, and healed, and two of our wizards have found happiness together!" The guild door opened and closed, unnoticed. "You know what that means! Time to celebrate! Bring out the booze, Mira!"

"What are we celebrating? Juvia wants to celebrate with Gray-sama!"

Everyone froze as they heard the water mage's voice. She ran towards Gray, about to throw herself at him as usual, oblivious to Natsu embracing him. Natsu moved between them, stepping in and shoving her back with his shoulder before she could wrap her arms around the ice wizard. All his joviality was gone in an instant, eyes lit up with flames. Juvia glanced at Natsu, wondering what he was doing.

"We're celebrating our mating."

"Your mating?"

"Dragonslayers have mates. They mate for life." He looked into Juvia's eyes. "Gray is mine. And you will keep your fucking hands off of him." Juvia looked confused, glancing at Gray. She saw the bites on his neck, saw Natsu wearing Gray's clothes.

"Gray-sama? That's not true, is it? Gray-sama is not with Natsu. Gray-sama and Natsu fight all the time." Her eyes begged him to tell her what she wanted to hear.

"It is true. Natsu is mine, we're together." Juvia shook her head, refusing to believe it. She reached out to touch Gray's shoulder.

"Gray-sama-" Natsu slapped her hand away, fire glowing around his fists.

"I said hands. The fuck. Off."

"But, Juvia loves Gray-sama! It's fate!" Natsu held up his right hand up, along with Gray's, to show two red mating marks.

" _This_ is fate. Gray is mine. He doesn't want you. If he did he would have been with you a long time ago. "

"He's right, Juvia, I've told you before, over and over. I don't care about you in that way. You just don't listen. Honestly, I've always wanted this, I've never been so happy. Don't fuck up this day for us. Just let it go."

"But Gray-sama will see! One day, Gray-sama will change his mind!" She tried to walk around Natsu again, desperate, wanting to get to Gray. Natsu slammed into her with his shoulder again, sending her flying halfway across the guild. Natsu's fire was spreading up his arms, teeth sharpening to vicious fangs in his mouth. He bared them at her like an animal, lowering himself into a fighting stance as a vicious growl came out of his throat. His voice did not sound like his own when he spoke, but like a beasts. _Natsu is not home right now._

"Gray. Is. Mine. You try to touch him again, I'll fucking tear your hands off. He's not for you. He's never been for you. All this time, even before we realized it, he's never been anyone's but mine. Try to take what's mine, Juvia. I'll kill you." His words rang dark with truth. The guild looked on warily, wondering if Erza or Makarov was going to intervene. A darkness passed across Juvia's face as thunder crashed outside. No one needed to look to know it was pouring down rain. Shadows flashed around the mage before she summoned water from within herself.

"Gray-sama will never be yours, Natsu! Gray-sama is mine!" Natsu bared his teeth again.

Juvia lashed out with her water, wrapping Natsu up in her Water Lock. Natsu smiled as the water closed around him. His flames shot out from within the water, and it boiled away to nothingness. Natsu let out a blast of fire, knocking the water mage back into a pillar. Juvia pulled herself up, face full of rage. 

"Water Slicer!" Blades of liquid shot out at Natsu, but he made no move to dodge them, heating up his fire. Her water was reduced to steam, totally harmless.

"You think you stand a chance against me, Juvia? When I'm fighting for Gray?"

"Gray-sama makes Juvia strong too! Water Cane!" Whips of water shot out from her hand, and they had more density than her Slicer attack. These impacted the fire mage, and he staggered but did not go down. Instead, he snarled at her. No one made any move to break up the fight. This would have to be settled sooner or later, but that didn't make it any more pleasant to watch. Natsu crouched down and prowled closer to Juvia, a dragon stalking it's prey. She circled him, trying to keep some distance, but he edged in closer.

"I don't want to hurt my guild mates, but I'll make an exception for you." Natsu lunged at Juvia, who tried to activate her Water Body. Suddenly his hands found her neck and ice flowed out of them, freezing them into her skin. He tackled her to the ground, hands wrapped around her throat, frozen into the ground. The ice crept down her body, and before anyone knew what had happened, Juvia's head was the only thing left not encased in it. The guild collectively gasped, shocked to see Natsu using ice magic.

"How are you doing this?"

"This is Gray's ice. He gave it to me, and I gave him my fire. Does this clear things up for you? Gray is _mine,_ and I am his, down to our very magic." He pressed his face close to Juvia's, eyes full of fire, face full of fury. "You can leave _my mate_ alone, or I can freeze you solid and shatter you into a thousand pieces. Your choice. _Juvia._ " He spat her name as he stood up and let the ice that surrounded her thaw, watching her closely. She lay on the floor, breathing in gasps, eyes full of tears. She looked at Gray, and her face twisted in sadness before she stood up and ran from the guild. Lucy ran after her, worrying about her guild mate. She did not think Natsu had done anything wrong, but she felt sorry for her. They had fought together, had done a Unison Raid together. Lucy could not help but be concerned about the water mage.

"Congratulations you guys, but I'm gonna go talk to her!"

Natsu backed up towards where Gray was standing, eyes on the door that Juvia had fled out as if he thought she would return, fire still boiling from his body, ice encasing his hands, eyes burning.

"Natsu?" Gray's voice shook him from his reverie. _"Gray-sama will never be yours, Natsu!"_

Natsu turned around and grabbed Gray, slamming him into the wall and viciously taking his mouth. Gray moaned, and Natsu pressed his tongue into that hot mouth, claiming Gray with his kiss all over again. One arm went around Gray's waist, pulling him tight against him, the other fisted in his hair and pulled his head roughly to the side. He released the kiss to bite into Gray's neck with a feral growl, feeling the ice mage's hands bury themselves in his hair as he groaned. Natsu could feel the sensual sound under his mouth. _Mine. Gray's mine._ He tasted blood. It was thick with the flavor of Gray's arousal. He was being rough and savage, and Gray loved it. There was some reason they shouldn't be doing this. Gray couldn't seem to remember what it was. Natsu released his bite to lick up the red drops leaking from the wound, only to notice the entire guild staring, mouths agape. Cana was smiling a huge ridiculous smile.

Natsu _hissed_ at them, before picking Gray up and tossing him over his shoulder.

"Oi! Natsu!"

Natsu let out another growl as he carried Gray into the infirmary and closed the doors with a bang. Ice crept over the outside of them, sealing the infirmary shut with a crackling sound. Even without the ice, no one would have gone in there. 

They didn't want to die today.


	16. Hard and Fast

Natsu threw Gray down on the infirmary bed, and Gray's arousal shot hard with anticipation, despite the abuse it had suffered over the last day. Had it only been a day? Not even, yet it felt like an eternity. He could still feel each place on his body that Natsu had touched, tasted, _invaded,_ and his own hands felt hot and needy when he thought of his mate's skin under them. He found himself thinking of Natsu that way already, his mate. His mouth went dry as Natsu ripped off his own shirt before closing in on his prey. He pressed his lips to Gray's, forcing his tongue into the ice mage's mouth as he grabbed ahold of his shirt. Natsu tore it open, buttons tearing off the fabric, flying across the room and clattering to the floor. The Dragonslayer seemed like he would swallow Gray up, one hand rubbing his chest with rough, biting fingers while the other came up to hold his chin, forcing his mouth tighter against his mate's. The fire mage pulled back, looking at Gray's face with raw desire, hands hungrily exploring his flesh. Gray knew on some level that they didn't need to be doing this here. Were they really going to fuck in the infirmary? With the entire guild outside? And why did the thought excite him so much? Natsu had carried him off like a barbarian taking a war prize after a victory. He should have been seriously pissed. Instead it turned him on. What the fuck was the Dragonslayer doing to him? 

 

"Natsu, we're in the guild h-"

 

Natsu shoved his thumb into Gray's mouth, holding his jaw open as he leaned in and bit Gray's bottom lip. He left his thumb between the ice mage's teeth as he bent down and took Gray's nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it. Natsu then pulled his hand from Gray's jaw to undo the ice wizards belt. Gray's erection sprang free, and Natsu took it in hand as he bit down on Gray's chest. Gray could not find the words he needed to voice another complaint. They were lost somewhere between skin and teeth and touch. He no longer cared.

 

"F-fuck! Natsu!" Gray arched up into that sharp, wet mouth that answered him in a growl. Natsu was not being gentle, and Gray was glad. _Mated to a dragon._ After hearing Juvia's words, he _wanted_ Natsu to take him, fast and hard, stake his claim on him. Own him, inside and out. Gray needed this just as much as his mate did. Gray normally felt shy and awkward as Natsu touched and teased him. Right now, he did not feel shy. He felt only desire. Natsu trailed kisses up Gray's chest and to his neck. Gray tensed for a bite that he both feared and wanted at the same time. Instead, the fire mage licked and sucked as his hands worked, jerking Gray's pants down over his hips. Gray turned his head and found Natsu's own throat with his mouth, biting down on the Dragonslayer and sucking hard on the flesh between his teeth. Natsu threw his head back with a moan, leaning his neck into Gray's bite. Gray's hands reached up around Natsu, nails digging in. He scratched them down his back, leaving vicious red trails in his wake. He wanted Natsu to be marked, just as he was. Gray wanted his bites in Natsu's flesh, his scratches down Natsu's back. He wanted Natsu to wear his love for him in blood and bruises, and he wanted to have Natsu's in return. 

 

"Nnnng... Gray..." Natsu jerked in pleasure, panting raggedly. When Gray released his bite, Natsu mouth descended on Gray's cock, taking it deep and groaning at the feel of it. Gray's hands buried themselves in those pink locks, and he didn't try to fight it. He thrust into Natsu, shoving his shaft deep into the fire mages throat. Soft hair, sexy mouth, the sounds he made around Gray's length.... it was too much. _Can't come yet. Fuck. So good._ Natsu reached up with his fingers extended, and Gray knew what he wanted. He pulled them eagerly between his lips, circling them with his tongue and sucking hard. Natsu paused to jerk one of Gray's boots off, taking the pants with it and spreading his legs wide. He took his mate's cock back in his mouth as he thrust his fingers inside. Natsu knew what he was looking for now, and he delved within until he found it, stretching Gray wide while he did so. _Take him, bite him, fuck him._ He wanted to be buried in Gray _now,_ but his instincts were warring with each other. _A mate doesn't hurt._. He was rewarded with a loud moan for his efforts, as Gray shuddered underneath his attentions. Gray's hands were in his hair, on his face, his neck. They roved around, caressing and touching anything within reach.

 

"Natsu- mmmm.... gonna come."

 

Natsu jerked his fingers out and pulled his mouth off of the ice mage. Gray whined like an animal, thrusting upwards to find that heat again. Natsu crawled up Gray's body and knelt by his head, pants still hanging off his hips. He thrust his arousal into Gray's face.

"I want to make you come with this. Get it wet for me, Gray." God, when Natsu said his name like that, all velvet and darkness... He was powerless to refuse. Didn't want to. He sucked Natsu deep into his mouth before pulling back to lick up and down his shaft, and then repeated the process. Gray looked up to meet Natsu's gaze, holding the Dragonslayer's eyes as he mouthed his shaft. Those eyes on him, that mouth....it felt so good, too good, but Natsu was impatient to be in his mate. He popped his erection from his mate's mouth, eliciting another whine from him. The fire mage crawled back down and flipped Gray over onto his face, like he weighed nothing, ripping the torn shirt from his arms to expose his skin. Natsu ran his tongue up Gray's spine as he kneed open the ice mage's thighs, pushing them wide. Gray propped himself up on his elbows, dick throbbing almost painfully. Somehow being in this position with Natsu, ass in the air, so exposed and helpless, made him quiver with need. As the fire mage positioned himself at Gray's entrance with his left hand, lips kissing up and down his back, his other trailed down Gray's right arm, searching. When he found Gray's hand, he jerked it back behind him, bending it up against the small of his back and interlocking their fingers. Those red marks were pressed against each other, and as Gray felt them heat up his cock pulsed. Natsu pressed his head against the opening and took in the sight before him, Gray spread open to receive him, marks together, skin sweat slicked with desire... He did not deserve such a mate, such perfection. Was not worthy of Gray. But he was a dragon, and a dragon never gave up his treasure. Anyone who tried to take Gray would burn in his fire, gnashed by his sharp teeth into nothingness.

_"Gray."_

He slid into that tight heat agonizingly slowly, listening to the sounds Gray made as he did so, clenching the ice mage's hand as his shaft was clenched by Gray's muscles. He moaned and gasped as Natsu filled him for the second time. He was still tender from the last time, sore, but when he felt Natsu seated deep inside him, it felt so right. Natsu let out a ragged breath that brushed over Gray's back like a caress. He breathed in and out, trying to steady himself to speak.

"T-tell me. Tell me if I hurt you." He bit the words out as though he was the one hurting.

"I'm fine. Please, Natsu. Now."

"Shiiiiiit."

His control shattered and he began to move fast, pounding hard into Gray, skin slapping against skin. Gray's arm slid out, losing it's grip under the force of Natsu's thrusts, and his face pressed against the mattress. Natsu slowed his movements and bent down to lick and suck at Gray's flesh as he slid in and out. Gray was lost in sensation, rolling in and out with the tides of Natsu's motion. The Dragonslayer reached around with his left hand and squeezed Gray's cock hard before he started stroking. _Natsu's mouth. Natsu's hands. Natsu's cock._

"Nnngg... haaaahhh.... f-fuck, Natsu..." Natsu loved the way that sounded, his name moaning it's way out of Gray's mouth as he ravaged him.

"S-say it again. Say my name."

"Natsu. Ah shit, Natsu, I'm close..." Gray's muscles started to tense, back arching in pleasure.

"Again. Louder." With each word he slammed harder into Gray, left hand flying up and down on his mate's shaft, pulling and twisting.

"Natsu!" _Shit._ Gray choked it out through clenched teeth. _Too much._ He felt a jolt shoot up his length as his body shuddered in climax. "Natsu!" The fire mage felt Gray's orgasm everywhere. His mate's seed coated his hand as it shot out and Gray twitched and jerked under his touch. The muscles wrapped around Natsu's shaft tightened on his flesh. Their marks heated up as the ice mage gripped his hand like a vise. His entire body was strung tight, a live wire dancing just for Natsu. When he felt Gray's muscles relax some, he released his hold on his shaft and his arm, gripping Gray's hips with both hands. As his fingers dug into the ice mage's skin, he fucked him harder, hips pistoning savagely into him. The bed they were on jolted and scraped across floor under Natsu's assault. That sweet tightness started to build up in his stomach, his back, a pressure at the base of his spine. His jaw was so tight he thought his teeth might crack. _Closer._ He thrust faster, taking Gray with a viciousness that surprised even him. Gray moaned underneath him, already spent yet still twisting in pleasure. _So good._

"Gray!" Gray leaned back and turned his head, twisting around towards Natsu. The Dragonslayer reached out with his hand and pulled his mate's face closer, pressing their lips together in a rough, wet kiss. He shoved his tongue into Gray's mouth with a growl. Natsu was moving so fast their teeth clacked together, but he did not care. He clung to Gray's mouth with his own as his body tensed up, muscles pulling in on themselves. He pulled out of Gray and began stroking himself as his cum shot out, ropes of thick whiteness striping across his mate's back, some of it dripping over his fingers. Only when his hand stilled did he break the kiss, forehead resting against Gray's back with a groan.

When he pulled back, Gray turned over underneath him to lay on the bed. Natsu's eyes were still closed as he collapsed on his mate, hazy with the afterglow of his climax. Gray looked down. He still had his pants on one leg, boot on his foot underneath them. Natsu's seed was all over his back, and Gray's own coated his chest, along with a fresh bite mark in a circle around his nipple. Natsu's hands and cock were dripping with fluid, with a bite to match Gray's on his throat. He still wore his pants, shoved down underneath his hips, and as Gray looked down his back he saw bright red scratches with a few trickles of blood leaking out. He smacked Natsu in the back of the head, and then laughed out loud as he took in the pair of them.

"Shit, Natsu." He laughed again. They may have overdone it. Gray smiled to himself while Natsu lay on his chest, hiding face against Gray's skin. The ice mage stroked his hair before grabbing his face and making Natsu look at him. He wouldn't meet Gray's eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for? Fucking me like a savage while the guild listens? Making a fucking mess of us?" Natsu looked away, shamefaced. "Natsu. It's okay." He finally looked up and locked eyes with Gray. He looked so guilty. "I liked it." He ran his fingers over the bruising bite he had left on Natsu's neck. He liked that it was there, wanted to put another one on him when it faded. His mark on his mate. Something deep and primitive inside him roared in victory. Gray put some pressure on the bruise so Natsu would feel it there. "Plus, I helped." 

"I went fucking crazy. I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you? I didn't want to fuck you again so soon. Well, I _wanted_ to, but I meant to give you some time to recover. I'm supposed to protect you, not hurt you, and look what I fucking did. In the goddamned guild hall, no less. We were both virgins less than a day ago and all I've done is attack you like an asshole-" Gray silenced his babbling with a deep kiss, running his tongue alone Natsu's teeth, exploring his mouth. When he pulled back, saliva stretched between them.

"Shut up, Natsu. It's fine. I liked it." He smirked at Dragonslayer. "I think I really must be an exhibitionist like everyone says. Knowing they're out there, listening... shit, it turned me on. Keep attacking me. We have lost time to make up for, years of it. Okay?" Natsu still looked ashamed.

"Okay. But I really am sorry. If you want to hit me again, I deserve it."

"I'll save it for later, when you're not expecting it. It's more fun that way."

"Hey, that's not fair, now or never."

"No, it's my free shot, I'll take it when I want."

"Exhibitionist stripper."

"Flame-brained savage."

They both smiled. Everything was like it had always been, yet totally different, and so much better. Natsu realized if they had not gone after Dorobo, they probably would never have come together this way. He was not so sure the little Oracle was their enemy, but he didn't want to bring it up and ruin the moment. They could talk about it later. They had forever, because Natsu was never letting Gray go.

"I love you, Gray." Gray kissed his forehead and pressed his head back down onto his chest.

"I love you, too. Let's go use the infirmary shower and then go let everyone make fun of us and get drunk with Cana."

"She just wants to watch us make out."

"I dunno, I might not be opposed to it, if she just watched. She already saw you kiss me, anyway. Everyone heard us fuck just now." Natsu sat up, gaping at Gray.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Just fucking you, not kidding you." 

Natsu jumped up, straddling Gray's hips. Gray threw up a block, ready for a punch when Natsu started tickling his ribs instead. Gray snatched at his hands, trying to pull them away to no avail. Laughter poured out of his mouth as he tried to throw Natsu off.

"Fuck! Stop!" He protested through gasping breaths as Natsu's fingers dug in mercilessly. Gray tried to roll on top of Natsu, only to roll them into the floor with a bang. He gave up trying to pull Natsu's hands off and dug his own into the fire mage's sides. Natsu began laughing as Gray tickled and tried to use his legs to gain an advantage. Before long they gave up, even more worn out than before and twisted up in each others arms on the floor, breathing in gasps with the occasional laugh still coming out of them. Gray held his arms around his chest tightly.

It almost hurt to be this happy.


	17. Celebration

Juvia sat on the riverbank where she often saw Gray-sama. He would come here and stare at the water, hands pulling at his dark hair or head between his knees. _"Honestly, I've always wanted this, I've never been so happy."_ Now Juvia realized he came here to think about Natsu, and her memories of watching him at this river were darkened. She followed him here sometimes, thinking that one day he would see they were meant to be together. He came here longing for another. Juvia chased after him, not knowing he lusted for the Dragonslayer. Lucy had followed her, trying to talk to her, calm her down. Juvia had turned herself into water to hide from the blonde wizard, waiting until she passed back by to return to the guild and reforming herself. She had thought that Lucy was her rival, that the celestial mage was the one who would snatch Gray from her grasp. She'd never thought to be jealous of _Natsu ._

How stupid must she be if she had missed it all this time, watching him so closely and yet missing something so obvious. She had not been able to see the forest, looking at all the trees. Rain poured down on her, and she let it drench, soaking through to her very bones. It was only water, and that was all she had in life. All she was. How was Juvia supposed to compete with someone like that? A male, and someone so much stronger than her that she could not ever hope to beat him. And even if she could, it would not make Gray want her. Natsu was _vibrant,_ and bright, and hopeful, her opposite in every way. Larger than life, too much person to be real, and she hated every part of him. She felt as though shadows were twisting inside of her chest, dark thoughts dancing behind her eyes. Natsu had spent his entire life fighting Gray, striking out at him, mocking him. Now he knew what those lips felt like pressed against his. The heat of his hands. The taste of his flesh. For so long, Juvia had ached for Gray, wanting nothing else in this life but to be held by him. There was no way that Natsu could appreciate what he'd been given. What he had _taken_ from her. He could even use Gray's magic, feel his ice erupt from his palms. The thought burned like acid as she tried to swallow down this hatred. Juvia would give anything to feel that cold magic come out of her, to feel what Gray felt as he drew on his power. Be one with him in some small way. Gray would never want her, and this realization clicked into place with a harsh snap. Gray would never be hers, and Juvia would always be empty like this inside. Blackness ate at her heart like a blade.

If she could not have him, no one should. Especially not _Natsu Dragneel._

Dorobo watched from the trees nearby, glorying in the darkness that he could practically see roiling through her. She was almost ready to hear what he had to say. He was patient.

He would wait.

......................................................

 

They washed off in the infirmary's shower that was clearly not designed for two people, each cleaning the other with an especially sterile smelling soap. Natsu was glad for the strong scent for once, to cover up the smell of sex on them. Gajeel would still be able to pick it up, but it wouldn't be so strong that it would gross him out. Natsu hoped, anyway. He always hated it when someone smelled strongly of anything, and the scent of others arousal has always been especially offensive to him. Natsu couldn't come, couldn't have sex, and smelling it on others just reminded him of what he didn't have. Now as he ran his soapy hands over Gray's body, through his dark hair, around his strong back, Natsu felt incredibly thankful. The water beat down on them, hot and cleansing.

 

"I think I sort of mentioned this once before, at Igneel's fire, but I... I used to be impotent. Couldn't get hard at all." Natsu paused, and the silence stretched on, punctuated by the sound of the water hitting the tile of the shower stall. Saying it out loud like that made him want to run away, melt into the floor, disappear into nothingness. The only other person he had ever told was Makarov. It was like telling his mate, 'I used to be weak.' Natsu did not hate anything more in this life than he hated his own weakness. Not even his enemies.

 

"Sting and Rogue said something like that, after you ran out of here the other day. That they had been, that you probably were. Other than with me, anyway." Gray's hands explored Natsu's chest, slowly. They were both already clean, but they made no move to get out yet. 

 

"Sting and Rogue." It pissed him off a little that they had talked with Gray that way, even though they had done nothing wrong, had been trying to help. Gray smirked at the venom in his voice as he pushed wet pink strands away from Natsu's eyes.

 

"You were hard before we were mated. On the train. At the hotel." Natsu blushed when he realized he had been caught that night.

 

"I knew you had woken up." He looked down before continuing. "That day on the train.... that was the first time I'd ever gotten an erection. I breathed you in, and I wasn't sick from traveling, and then... Shit, I was so hard. Then later in.." His face blushed brighter. "In the hotel, I couldn't help myself. I thought you were asleep, and you smelled so good..." He sighed, and met Gray's gaze. "Fuck this is hard to say. I feel like an idiot. I just wanted you to know how grateful I am, not just because of the impotence thing. Ever since Igneel left, I've always felt out of place, even with the guild. I knew I belonged to Fairy Tail, but I wanted to belong to some _one_. I'm glad it's you, I'm glad there was no one else for me before you. I feel like I have a place I belong now. I want you to tell me if I start to fuck things up. I can't keep my hands off you even though... I don't know what the hell I'm doing here. I feel like I'm mistreating you." Natsu looked so sincere it hurt, and Gray was speechless in the face of such desperate feelings. He didn't know what to say to reassure the fire mage.

 

"Damn, Natsu." He put his arms around him, hugging him close. He was almost glad that Natsu's emotions were in turmoil. It meant he wasn't the only one freaking out inside, even if it was for the different reasons. "I'm not glad you were impotent, but when I think of the fact that no one but me has touched you, it makes me feel happy. And the rest, well... Don't worry about it. You're not mistreating me." Gray laughed. "Well, maybe just now was a little crazy, but if I didn't want it I would've smacked the shit out of you with a ball of your own goddamn fire." Gray felt Natsu relax a little under his hands. "I'm glad too. I've always-" He felt his throat get tight. "Fuck. I don't want to get into it right now, it's too.... heavy all at once like this. Let's go face the guild, and eat some food and drink some booze." He smacked Natsu unceremoniously on the ass before climbing out of the shower.

 

"Oi! Quit that!"

 

"Why? It bothers you, that's reason enough to do it." Natsu followed Gray out of the stall, smiling in spite of himself. "Hey, Natsu, let me see if I can this time."

 

"Do what?"

 

"The fire thing. Drying us. If I fuck it up will I burn us?" Gray did not think it was possible but he didn't want to risk it. He'd rather risk sounding like an idiot than setting himself on fire like one.

 

"Nah. You can't burn _us,_ nothing can burn us, but you can burn everything else if you're not careful Here." Natsu stood in front of Gray and took the ice mage's hands in his. "Think about your fire. Man, it's weird to say that. _Your_ fire. Anyway. Just picture it coming from inside you, think about it drying us and nothing else. It doesn't burn. It only does what you need it to do. Counting down in your head helps. Or it helped me when I was really little. If it's gonna go crazy I'll just eat it."

 

Gray thought of a fire inside his chest, and as he counted down in his head he pictured it bursting out of him, rushing around them both, drying them. _Three. Two. One._ Fire exploded out of him, rolling around and over them in a huge wave. _Waaaaaay_ more fire than when Natsu had done it, but it dissipated harmlessly in the air, and the two were indeed dry, just a slight dampness in their hair.

 

"Shit, Gray, swat a fly with a cannon, eh?" Gray punched him in the chest, hard. Natsu winced under a broad smile. "Ow, that hurt. It kinda makes me proud though, seeing all that fire shoot out of you. If we hadn't just fucked, I think I'd be hard right now." The ice mage laughed.

 

"Of course you would be. I don't even have to do anything, you're just a pervert."

 

"Your pervert."

 

"Oh God. Does that count as saying something romantic? I can't decide."

 

"I don't know. If not, I'll come up with something later, I'm starving. Let's go make Mira give us food."

 

They put on their pants and torn up shirts. Natsu had gone caveman on them and ripped most of the buttons off, so the pair was forced to leave them hanging open in the front, not that it really mattered. Gray probably would have tossed his shirt at some point anyway, not even thinking about it. At least it covered the scratches across Natsu's back. Gray now had two deep bite marks on one side of his neck, and one mark on the other side, along with the imprint around his nipple.

 

"I'm gonna be covered in bite scars at this rate, flame brain. Not that I didn't like it at the time." Natsu looked ashamed all over again, and Gray was sorry he had said anything.

 

"Only the two you got on the first night will scar. Or that's what Igneel said, anyway. None of the rest will be permanent, they'll heal up eventually. Any would we get will heal crazy fast, other than the ones we give each other when we have sex. Mating bites and scratches heal like any normal persons wounds, so they'll stay on the skin longer. So everyone will know to stay away, that we're taken."

 

"That's... pretty awesome, actually. I like it when you bite me, I like to bite you, but I'm glad they won't all scar." Gray looked at Natsu, drinking it in. _Disheveled from fucking me, wearing my clothes, my bite on his neck, my scratches down his back, eyes glinting...._ "Natsu, you look fucking sexy like that." Gray really liked Natsu dressed in his clothing for some reason. Ownership, maybe. Staking a claim.

 

"Shut up. Let's go eat. Let me try to melt this ice myself. When I did it before I didn't even think about it, it just did what I wanted, but that was in the heat of the moment." Neither one of them wanted to bring up Juvia. 

 

Natsu put his hand on the doors and thought of the ice that encased them, picturing it vanishing into nothingness. White blue layers slowly crept back from the wood as though melting, but without leaving any water behind. It disappeared much less quickly than when he had summoned the magic. Natsu would have to work on that. He couldn't let Gray be better at using his fire than he was at using Gray's ice. That was inexcusable. 

 

They both took a deep breath and braced themselves before opening the doors that led to the guild hall... and running into Cana, who stood by the door with a glowing purple card in her hand and a broad smile.

 

"Uh... Hi guys." She looked guilty before taking them in, buttons missing, fresh bite wounds, swollen lips. "Wow, that's hot."

 

"What did you do, Cana? What's that card for?" Natsu asked suspiciously. "Did you _watch_ us with that?" The Dragonslayer suddenly looked dangerous, and Cana found herself moving back instinctively.

 

"No, no no I wouldn't do that. But... I might have _listened_ extra close. Everyone could hear anyway, I couldn't help myself." She bit her lip, unable to contain her glee, in spite of Natsu's glare. Wendy was nowhere to be seen, and for that Natsu was grateful. Someone had probably chased her and Romeo off to spare them the scene. The card mage leaned in, whispering to the pair of them, eying Natsu warily. "I heard Gray say he didn't care if I watched." Gajeel barked out a laugh from across the guild and Gray blushed. The thought that the whole guild could hear them had turned Gray on, but that someone had been specifically listening to them, hearing every sound he made, everything they did? Adrenaline raced through him. He fucking loved the idea. If he wasn't so drained, he would've had to hide an erection. He had a feeling that Natsu wouldn't be happy about it.

 

"CANA!" Natsu shouted at her, eyes snapping with anger.

 

"I'm sorry!"

 

"What the fuck, Cana!" Natsu looked over at Gray, feeling guilty that he had let such a thing happen, only to see the expression on Gray's face. "Oh shit. Gray." His eyes narrowed at his mate, then it was his turn to speak in a harsh whisper. "You like it." Gray's face flushed brighter and his eyes ate up the floor.

 

"I -" He stopped the denial on his tongue. Natsu would know if he was lying, anyway, he always did. "Fuck, I don't know. Maybe." Cana's eyes lit up with surprise , hand flying up to cover her mouth.

 

"Shiiit." Natsu was torn. He did not like the idea of anyone having any part of his mate, whether it was the sounds he made or the sight of him twisting in ecstasy, yet Natsu himself had been the one to put them in this position. It was his own fault that anyone had heard them in the first place, no matter what Cana had done. And Gray clearly enjoyed the idea of someone listening, someone watching. _Fuck, what have I done..._ He pointed his finger into Cana's face. "We'll deal with you later. I still might have to beat your ass, Cana, but we've dealt with enough bullshit today."

"You're gonna kick my daughter's ass? Can I help?" Gildarts stood behind Cana now, looking at Natsu and Gray with a bemused expression. "They said I missed all the action. " Natsu threw his elbow around Gray's neck with that cocky grin of his.

"I plan on getting some more action later, but now it's time to drink! Let's celebrate!" The guild cheered, and Gray shoved Natsu roughly, but he was smiling. 

They drank, and ate, and celebrated with their guild. Gajeel mocked them intermittently, but it was only for show. Natsu needed to thank him at some point, for trying to help him. Gildarts kept saying how stupid he was for not figuring it out sooner.

"In retrospect it's obvious," he'd said. Was it? _Probably._

Lucy had come back soaking wet and defeated, having lost Juvia in the rain. She retrieved a small box and gave it to Gray, telling him to open it later. Lucy said it was a gift because 'Natsu is an idiot.' Gray pocketed it with a suspicious expression, not sure he wanted to open it even in private. By the time night had fallen in earnest, almost all of the guild had gone home, and while Gray was a little drunk, Natsu had him beaten by a longshot. They sat at a booth with Cana and Mira, while Lucy, Erza and Gajeel played pool. Levy had fallen asleep on a table and the iron Dragonslayer had covered her with his jacket. The girls had been giving Natsu and Gray a hard time, but it was fine. To be with Natsu at the guild as a couple made Gray elated to a ridiculous degree. He never even imagined such a thing could happen. Gray felt overwhelmed.

"Natsu, you couldn't wait until later? You attacked Gray in the guild hall. I know he's a cute little uke, but still." Cana laughed at them for the hundredth time.

"Hey-" Natsu drunkenly cut off Gray's protest.

"Gray's not a fucking uke." Mira's eyes went wide. 

"Gray's not... you don't...." Mira couldn't finish, blushed a bright crimson. Cana smiled at her expression, looking full of mischief. 

"Gray doesn't bottom?" Cana blurted out without hesitation "Or do you switch?" Mira hid her face, disbelieving that even Cana could be so blunt. She ran off to the bar on the pretense of getting everyone more drinks. Natsu got a devilish look on his face as he threw his arm around his mate, pulling him in close.

"Yeah, we switch." He put his mouth up to Gray's ear, but was loud enough that Cana could hear. His breath caressed Gray's ear as he spoke. "And next time, he's gonna give it to me so good." Gray's eyes went huge, and he looked at Natsu in shock. 

The Dragonslayer leaned his back against the wall of the booth and tugged Gray in, bringing his face closer. He forgot anyone else was even there as he kissed Gray's lips, and the ice mage didn't protest. He moaned into Natsu's skin and opened to him. There was none of the urgency that usually punctuated their embraces. Natsu took Gray's mouth slowly, tongue exploring every corner. Cana cleared her throat, and Natsu cut his eyes at her.

"Go away, fujoshi." Cana laughed, but retreated, and Natsu put his arms around his mate, holding him tight to his chest as he savaged that sweet mouth with delicious patience. Gray's hands went around Natsu's neck as the fire mage buried a hand in dark raven locks. They pressed in, fitting perfectly against each other, limbs tangled. They kissed themselves breathless, only stopping when they were panting hot, wet air between them. Natsu reached out and wiped the corner of Gray's mouth where saliva had dripped down, and pulled him in tight. His arms went around the ice mage and he rested his head on Gray's and sighed.

"Gray."

"Natsu." 

It wasn't long before they were both asleep, Gray laying on Natsu's chest with the Dragonslayer's arms around him. Gray did not dream, and that was fine. For once, reality was better.


	18. Council

Freezing water crashing over them woke Natsu and Gray up with a start, ice shooting down their spines. They leapt to their feet in an instant, ready for battle. _Juvia._ The water mage had come back, they thought, as they jumped up with fire and ice in their palms. Only to see Makarov standing there laughing at them with an empty bucket in hand.

 

"What the hell Gramps?" Natsu grabbed his head as the world turned slowly around him, swirling in hungover circles.

 

"Gotta keep you on your toes. Anyone who passes out drunk in the guild hall is fair game. You know this."

 

"Yeah, but usually I'm the one tossing the water." Natsu bent over, rubbing his palms over his face.

 

"Turnabout is fair play."

 

Gray put a hand on Natsu and engulfed them in enough fire to make Makarov stagger backwards out of range, almost losing his footing. Natsu laughed, enjoying it more than he should to see the old man scramble.

 

"Hey, watch out with that fire, Gray! You don't even know how to use it yet!" Makarov shouted at him.

 

"I do too! I thought turnabout was fair play?" Gray smirked. Natsu grinned at Gray, before turning back towards the guild master.

 

"I didn't just wake you up for the fun of it. I need to talk to you two." Gray and Natsu eyed each other warily. When someone needed to talk to the two of them, it was never something good. Usually it ended in written notes of apology, or maybe getting smashed under Makarov's giant fist, in Natsu's case at least. The guild master looked at Gray. "We're going to Era to speak to the magic council. They want to do a spell that will allow them to watch what happened in your fight. They've done it with everyone who has fought him so far, for information gathering purposes. Usually they would have demanded you come right away, since they can't send the mages required out here. Circumstances being what they were, I think they've been pretty patient. I think we all know now that they're not our enemy. I've spoken with the Oracle since then, and while I can't tell you everything she told me, she has our interests at heart."

 

Gray ran his hands through his hair, and sighed. The Oracle had come to him, asked him if he would walk through flames for Natsu. If she hadn't said that, he might not have reached the fire mage in time to stop him from doing the transformation spell. She had provided a car before that after the fight with Dorobo, so that they could reach Magnolia in time to save Natsu. They weren't the enemy here right now, only Dorobo, though he might question their methods. Natsu had suffered, had indeed almost died. He didn't have to like them, but he also didn't have to kill them just yet. It was Natsu who spoke next.

 

"So when do we leave?"

 

"Oh, you're not going anywhere. You will stay here and help protect the guild. I'm taking Gray and Gildarts with me." Natsu was shaking his head as Gray's mouth pressed into a tight line.

 

"No fucking way. I'm going too."

 

"Natsu, this isn't a negotiation. Dorobo could show up here anytime, and I can't leave the guild unprotected. We need as many of our mages close by as possible. You are staying."

 

"Gray's my mate, I can't have him go to the _Magic Council_ with their stupidity and corruption and bullshit without me." Gray rankled at that. He wanted to stay with Natsu, too, but he didn't need looking after.

 

"Natsu, I don't like the idea either, but I can protect myself."

 

"I know that, it's not the point! You're not supposed to have to!"

 

"What does that even mean?"

 

"I just need to be beside you! We were just mated, with my instincts like they are, I don't know if I will even be able to let you go without following you. Hell, the other day when I was making you food it was hard to even stay in the next room, let alone to fucking Era! We haven't even been fifty feet from each other since the mating, how can I let you go halfway across the country?" 

 

"LET me go? I don't have a choice?" Gray looked incredulously at the Dragonslayer. He'd expected this might be an issue, and tried to calm the unreasonable agitation that grew in him. Natsu was just being protective, he should be happy about it, not furious, especially since Gray felt the same way as the fire mage. He did not want to leave Natsu behind and travel to Era alone. It would be like leaving a piece of himself. The most important piece.

 

"It's not like that. The Magic Council is a pit of goddamned snakes. I don't-" Makarov interrupted.

 

"That's exactly why you can't go, Natsu. You don't deal with the council well on the best of days, or anyone else for that matter, and you're miserable when you travel anyway. It has to be Gray that goes, and I can't have you there with him right now, not when we threatened council members. Someone so much as breathes in Gray's direction and you're going to set them on fire without a second thought. You're too volatile. Now more than ever." 

 

"Wait, wait. Are you trying to say that Natsu and I can't go on jobs together?" Gray didn't want to fight Makarov on this, would rather just get it over with, but if he tried to say they couldn't do missions with one another then the ice mage would dig in. Hard.

 

"No. This isn't a job, it's a trip to see the council. Not even I am stupid enough to try and keep you from going on jobs with each other, though Natsu and you will be more of a liability now. You were too powerful to begin with, and now look at you. I'm glad you're strong, but you already tear up half of the city when you go on missions." The master sighed. "We'll be gone for three days. A day to get there, a day at the council, a day back."

 

"This is bullshit, Makarov." Natsu's voice was biting and sharp. He never called the guild master 'Makarov.' It was always 'Gramps.' He was well and truly pissed. "And you seem just fine with this." When he looked at Gray he seemed furious, but Gray could see the hurt underneath. Natsu thought Gray was taking someone else's side, but the ice mage knew there was no way around this. Natsu could argue all day and it wouldn't change anything. Gray felt like he was betraying him even though he'd done nothing wrong.

 

"Natsu-"

 

"You think I like doing this? I'm the one that will have to listen to you bitch. It's only three days. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that. You two will be fine."

 

"When do we leave?" Natsu was silent as Gray spoke, uncertainty twisting through him. He wanted to argue, rail against Makarov, but then Gray would think Natsu considered  him weak and incapable of defending himself. 

 

"You have two hours to pack up and be at the train station." Gray looked at Makarov incredulously.

 

"Only two hours? Are you serious?" 

 

"The sooner we leave, the sooner we get back. Gildarts with carry you kicking and screaming if he has to, that's why he's coming. And Erza can at least knock Natsu around long enough for the train to depart. Two hours." Makarov walked away without another word. Natsu glared daggers at him as he went. Gray was sure he'd never seen Natsu this angry at the guild master before, and he felt guilty that he was the cause of it.

 

"Let's go to my place so I can pack."

 

Natsu didn't answer, but followed him in silence as they headed to Gray's house. When they got there, the fire mage sat down on Gray's couch, sulking while the ice wizard packed a small bag. Tension was thick in the air, suffocating and dark. When he finished with his bag, he fished out his keys and walked over to the couch. Natsu did not even look at him, just glared at the floor by his feet.

"Here." Natsu looked up to see the keys dangling in his face.

"What?"

"The keys to my house." Natsu looked confused.

"Why?" Gray looked down, cheeks turning a light pink. Natsu stood up and without thinking, brushed his thumbs across Gray's blushing face, fingers curved around his jaw. It was the first time he had touched him that day, and he had been craving the contact without realizing it. He was supposed to go three days without this? Natsu wasn't sure it was possible.

"If you were going to be gone for three days... I dunno... I might want to sleep in your bed. If you don't it's fine." Gray went to put the keys back in his pocket, only to have Natsu snatch them from him and put them into his own. His hands went back to Gray's face of their own volition. The ice mage still did not meet his eyes.

"Uh-uh. They're mine now." Natsu wanted to be mad, he really did. Gray had not fought hard enough against this for the Dragonslayer's liking. "You'd sleep in my bed?" Gray blushed brighter, and Natsu reveled in it, despite the situation. He loved making blood heat those cheeks, it stirred something primal inside him. Somehow, he felt like he was winning, and he did not know why. It made Natsu want to take him to the ground, make Gray's breath come in pants to match that beautiful flush, skin slicked with sweat and eyes rolled back in pleasure.

"Well.. yeah, I mean... It would smell like you. I think it'd made me sleep better." One of Natsu's hands roamed up the Gray's hair, running his fingers through those raven locks. 

"What about you?" Gray looked up, not understanding.

"What about me?"

Natsu unwrapped his scarf from his neck and coiled it around Gray's. It mostly covered his bite wounds, which the fire mage did not really like, but this scarf marked him as Natsu's as much as any love bite, if not more. Gray was shocked that he would let him wear it, even his mate, even for just three days. 

"Natsu, you don't have to do that."

"I want to. I want you to pull it down when you go to the council, so they can see my marks on you. I want them to see my scarf, and my bites, and know that if they fuck with you, after you beat their asses, that they still have to deal with me. I want to be there with you, even as I'm here in Magnolia. I don't have to go to threaten them."

"So it's just for them? To send a message?"

"No, stupid. It's for you, so you can smell me. The rest is just a perk. Unless you don't want to wear it, or something." Now it was Natsu's turn to be shy, eyes taking in the floor. Gray laughed.

"Of course I want it, you idiot. Shit, we really are hopeless." Gray pressed his nose into the scarf and breathed in deep. It seemed like his sense of smell was more sensitive, because Natsu's scent assailed him. He wondered if it was his imagination, or maybe it was just Natsu's smell he was more attuned to. Natsu pulled Gray into a tight hug, burying his face in the ice mage's neck with a sigh before speaking.

"Three days. That feels like forever. I know we've gone longer than that without seeing each other, but it's different now. I've barely even had you to myself. I don't want to share."

"It does seem like a long time. Longer than we've been together so far."

Natsu pulled back and kissed Gray hard and deep, tongue pushing into Gray to lay waste to that sweet mouth. Gray moaned into the kiss, and when he heard that sound, he couldn't fight it. Natsu pulled Gray down to the floor before rolling him onto his back and thrusting his hips into his mate's. He savaged those lips as the ice mage writhed underneath him, desperate. He wasn't sure what he was desperate for. _Everything._ Natsu broke this kiss, biting Gray's lip as he retreated.

"I really want to have sex with you right now, but I can't make you travel that way, especially after I was such an asshole last night." 

"You weren't an asshole."

Natsu was tugging Gray's pants off with impatient jerks. When Gray's cock popped free, Natsu took in the sight greedily before sucking his length into his mouth.

"Nnnnggh..."

Gray's hands went automatically to the Dragonslayer's silky pink hair. That scorching mouth licking at him, those soft strands under his hands, the small grunts of appreciation he felt along his shaft as Natsu took him deep into his throat... He was already addicted to it, lost to sensation. Heat radiated out from his groin, spreading through his whole body. Gray's muscles tightened under Natsu's touch, and his arousal twitched and throbbed, a slave to it's master. The fire mage cupped Gray's balls with one hand and he moaned loudly, knees scissoring up and down, mindless in this pleasure. Natsu's mouth worked, hot and slick, and with his free hand he took Gray's nipple between his fingers, twisting and rolling.

"Ahhh... N-natsu..." He was on the edge, body tightening in on itself, hands vicious in Natsu's hair. "Ffffuck, now..."

Natsu sealed his lips around Gray's shaft and sucked hard as he felt that hot essence fill his mouth. He swallowed all if it down as he ran his tongue in circles around the tip, feeling it shoot out in spurts. A wild and ancient part of Natsu roared in victory. Filling his mouth with his mate's seed as he seized in ecstasy felt so fucking right. When at last Gray went soft and still, breath sawing out in harsh pants, Natsu released his length and rose up to take his mouth. Gray could taste himself on Natsu's kiss, and his chest felt tight with emotion. Natsu finally eased his assault on Gray's mouth and pulled back to lay on his chest, and the ice mage put his arms around his mate to hug him close.

"Let me suck you, too. I'll be gone for three days."

"Nah. I don't trust myself not to fuck you. I'll lose it. You're already going to be sore because of me, I don't want to risk it. When it comes to you, my will is weak. Besides..." Natsu sat up on an elbow to look at him. "I'm gonna lay in your bed while your gone, and before I go to sleep, I'm gonna breath in your scent and touch myself. While your gone, I want you to think of me, moaning your name, in your bed, with my hand full of my cock and my mind full of thoughts of you, naked and writhing underneath me." Gray flushed bright and hot. "Every night. Every morning. And when you come back.... I am gonna fucking ravage you." The ice mage swallowed hard.

God, he almost wanted to leave now, just so he could come back to that.


	19. Motion

Natsu and Gray walked up to the train station hand in hand, both scowling as they approached their guild mates. Everyone did a double take, first looking at their joined hands, which would take some time to adjust to considering they'd watched the pair at each others throats most of their lives, and then at Gray wrapped up in Natsu's scarf. Gildarts and Makarov were there, along with Erza and Mira, who seemed apprehensive. If Natsu went ape shit and tried to go with Gray, it was their job to keep him here in Magnolia. No one had seriously tangled with Natsu since he'd been mated. He was stronger than before, and they didn't really know his limits. They might not even be able to stop him, and they weren't looking forward to finding out. Natsu felt everyone's eyes on him, and growled in frustration.

 

"Stop staring at me. I'm not gonna flip out on you guys." Gray looked at him with a wry grin.

 

"You're not?"

 

"Damn it, you too? No, I'm not. I'm still pissed off about this but I'm not going to attack my guild mates just to go after you." Gildarts took the two in, and laughed.

 

"Gray, you look weird in that scarf. It's like you're wearing dog clothes or something." Natsu bristled.

 

"Who are you calling a dog, you fucking walking mannequin!"

 

"Well, you growl all the time, and there's the whole heightened senses and sharp teeth thing. You're pretty much a dog." As Gray listened to them argue, he ran his tongue over his own canines. Ever since his mark had filled in, they felt sharper, longer, and they sometimes ached. The itching sensation had gone away for awhile after he'd buried them in Natsu's neck that time. They began to throb again now as he thought about biting the smooth skin of Natsu's throat.

 

"Fuck you!"

 

"Gray would be jealous."

 

"I changed my mind, I am gonna beat your ass."

 

"Anytime, princess."

 

"Enough! Time to go!" Makarov boarded the train without another word, and Gildarts lagged behind, waiting for Gray to climb on.

 

Natsu and Gray just looked at each other, feeling everyone's eyes on them, holding their breath. _Fuck it._ The Dragonslayer pulled his mate in and kissed him, mouth hot and needy. Gray's arms went around Natsu's back as the fire mage wrapped his own around Gray's neck under the scarf. Natsu was going to get caught up in this fast, and not be able to stop himself. He pulled back from the kiss and Gray pressed his face into Natsu's shoulder.

 

"I'll never get used to that. It's so fucking strange."

 

"Shut up, Gildarts. No one asked you."

 

Gray nuzzled at Natsu's skin before sinking his teeth into it with a vicious bite. He'd broken skin almost instantly, and lapped at the blood that oozed out.

 

"Shit, Gray!" Natsu pushed in towards Gray's roving tongue even as he complained. He shuddered, eyes closing as the ice mage sucked and licked at his wound. "What was that for?" His voice was strained and rough. Gray pulled back looking embarrassed at himself, like he was just realizing what he had done, and in front of Erza and Mira no less.

 

"My teeth itched. " He sounded confused as he said it. Natsu furrowed his brow and reached into Gray's mouth, opening his jaws with his thumb and forefinger to look at his mate's teeth. The canines were long and sharp. They looked just like Natsu's now, predatory and savage. Gray fought down his arousal at Natsu's sudden, rough invasion of his mouth. He wanted to suck on those fingers, run his tongue around them and get them slick and ready. _Fuck._ Natsu pressed the points of Gray's top teeth with the pad of his thumb, before removing his fingers. Gray was both relieved and disappointed. 

 

"Your teeth look like Dragonslayer teeth, Gray." He felt with his own fingers now, testing the sharpness. They were different, for sure.

 

"If we're done playing dentist, let's go, lovebird." Gildarts motioned at Gray, impatient. The train would depart soon.

 

Gray hugged Natsu tight again and gave him another quick kiss on the lips. He lingered close to his face, not wanting to go.

 

"I love you. I'll see you soon."

 

"I love you too. I'm going to your house right now and crawling in your bed." 

 

Gray groaned at the implication, knowing he'd be hard and horny for the entire train ride now thinking of Natsu in his bed jacking off. Gray moved towards the train, holding Natsu's hand until they stretched between them. With a deep sigh he released his fingers and climbed on the train after Gildarts, but he did not go to his seat. He stood in the door as the train lurched forward, watching Natsu grow smaller in the distance.

 

As Gray made his way towards his seat, he began to feel strange. His stomach turned and he felt dizzy as a cold sweat broke out on his neck. The ice mage sat down with a thump next to Gildarts, putting his head between his knees.

"You okay?" Gildarts looked at Gray with worry in his eyes.

"I feel sick. When the train started moving-"

Realization dawned on him with terrible clarity. His sense of smell was heightened. His canines elongated and sharp, itching to bite into Natsu. Now they were on a train and he felt queasy and disoriented? Gray was _motion sick._ Each jolt of the train made his guts rebel, spinning and twisting inside him. When Gray thought of Natsu feeling like this, over and over, each time they traveled, it hurt inside in a way that had nothing to do with his stomach.

"Poor Natsu." He squeezed his head and rocked back and forth. 

"What's wrong with you? Is this some weird Dragonslayer mating thing?"

Nausea flowed through Gray in a wave, and his hand flew to his mouth.

"Sort of." He choked out the words before he threw himself to the window and hung his head outside. Makarov and Gildarts both winced as they listened to Gray heave.

"Oh, that sucks loverboy. That reeeally sucks. Tell me that that's a hangover and not a mating present from Natsu." _A present from Natsu?_ Gray steadied himself and pressed Natsu's scarf into his nose, breathing that spicy scent in deep. After a few moments, the smell began to ease him a little. Gray retreated back inside and sat down with a moan, clinging to the scarf like a lifeline. His stomach was not totally better, but he did not think he would vomit again. For the moment.

"Oh man, to think I made fun of him while he felt this way. I feel like such an asshole." His words came out muffled through the fabric.

"You gonna puke in his scarf, Gray? That's cold."

"It's Natsu's scent. It makes me less nauseous."

"Wow, that's.... romantic or something. I feel like I should make fun of you, but then I feel guilty cause you look like shit."

"At least I'm sick. What's your excuse?"

"Ha ha. Very cute, ice queen."

If Natsu hadn't insisted that Gray take his scarf, he would've been even more miserable. He thanked him silently as he shoved the scarf tight into his face, groaned and braced himself for a long ride.

 

..........................................................

 

Natsu watched the train depart, taking with it everything that mattered to him. He felt Erza grab his arm, and only then realized that he had started to walk towards the train tracks, ready to follow it. Gray was gone. _Three days._ Natsu felt empty inside, like he was failing at something, somehow. _A mate protects._ Gray could protect himself, but Natsu _needed_ to do it. Instinct screamed at him from within, telling him to run after the train, jump on board, and find his mate. The mark on his hand tingled slightly, and Natsu wondered why. Maybe it was because they were separated. Nothing could have happened to Gray so soon, and Natsu did not feel urgency, just mild discomfort.

"Let's go back to the guild. We can get some lunch and if you want to fight us, we can do it there." Natsu sighed.

"I'm not going to fight you. Does everyone think I'm crazy now?"

"Natsu, you have always been crazy. Everyone is thinking that they watched you threaten to kill Juvia, then try to swallow Gray in the guild hall, growling and hissing at us like a psycho. Who knows what you'll do? I know all this is new to you, and letting him go must have been hard. I'm proud of you, and I'm glad you two are finally happy." Erza patted him on the shoulder, trying to be friendly and supportive but almost knocking him off his feet. He hadn't been ready to take such a blow.

"Nah, I'm not going to the guild. I'm gonna go home and change, and get Happy. I've been neglecting him lately, and I need a distraction, so I think we'll go fishing. He says I owe him two dozen fish anyway."

Natsu made his way home to meet up with the exceed, and after a quick change of clothes and some food, the two set off to a nearby pond. Natsu made sure to bring Gray's house keys with him when they left. Happy was glad to go fishing with Natsu, but when the fire mage told him he was sleeping at Gray's tonight, the exceed refused.

"I've been staying with Lisanna in the girls dorm, and Wendy and Carla stay there. If you were going to stay home in our bed, I'd stay. But Gray's house is freezing, and I need to give Carla fish after this anyway."

Natsu had been looking forward to having the cat keep him company, but he supposed he deserved this after ignoring him these past few days. After they had fished and eaten most of what they caught, Happy wrapped up a few fish and flew away on a mission to woo Carla. Normally the fire wizard would have jumped into the pond for a swim, but he could still smell Gray on his skin. He didn't want to wash away that sweet scent just yet. He stowed his fishing gear back at his house before heading towards Gray's. Makarov had woken them up ridiculously early considering how late they had partied with the guild the previous night, and Natsu's hangover was catching up to him. Natsu needed a nap before he headed to the guild to help keep watch. It felt strange to let himself into Gray's empty house and lock the door behind him. He had to urge to go through Gray's things, run his hands over all the ice mage's clothes, roll around on his furniture. Mark everything in here with his scent. Natsu was too tired to make the effort right now. With a promise to himself that everything in this entire house would be covered in his smell by the time he left, he collapsed into Gray's bed. He was exhausted, physically and emotionally. _My Gray isn't here._

Natsu hugged a pillow tight to his chest and buried his face in it, breathing in the scent of snow and winter and mate. _Mine._ Not all of Natsu was tired, apparently. When he took in that smell, he shot hard in an instant. He had told Gray that he was going to come crawl in this bed and touch himself. _Can't go back on my word now._ The Dragonslayer laid on his back with a grin and freed his erection from his pants. He had only masturbated to completion once, and that was under Gray's hot stare. Natsu wasn't sure he could even ejaculate without his mate here. _Time to find out._

He took his shaft roughly in hand and began to stroke, nose taking in Gray's sweet aroma. _Fuck._ Natsu felt his cock grow harder in his fist as he pumped up and down, squeezing and jerking. He thought of Gray, his mouth open and panting as Natsu entered him. _Shit, Gray._ He felt heat spreading throughout his body as his wrist flew along his arousal, breathing ragged and harsh. _Gray twisting in pleasure beneath him._ Natsu felt his muscles tighten, flexing of their own accord. His right knee bent as his foot found purchase on the blankets, hip coming up off the mattress. _Gray's cheeks flushed and shining, hands fisting in Natsu's hair._ Natsu's hand flew faster, gripping his length tighter and tighter. A choked grunt came out of his throat unbidden. He was close, he could do this. Natsu could actually come on his own. _"Please, Natsu. Now."_

"Gray!" Natsu called Gray's name as his back arched and he saw stars, fire shooting up his cock. Ribbons of white arced over his chest and stomach as he shuddered violently in climax. It seemed to go on forever, pouring out of him in hot spurts. There was a ringing in his ears, like he was deep underwater. Only when he was too sensitive to touch himself any more did his hand still. He lay there mindless for awhile, catching his breath and waiting for his hearing to return. Natsu looked at the mess he'd made on himself, and wished he had thought to get some tissues beforehand. _Not like I've ever done this before._ He would remember next time for sure. When he was with Gray, their semen did not bother him. He would gladly lick it off his mate without hesitation, or relish the slippery feeling of it on his hands as they caressed Gray's skin. Alone was a different story, apparently, because he wanted it off of him quickly. 

Natsu leaned over to Gray's bedside table, careful not to get anything on the bedding. Maybe he would have something to clean up with. Gray had been perfectly normal all this time, after all, he would've done this sometimes, surely. Natsu saw nothing on the table, so he opened the table's drawer. _Bingo._ There was a box of tissues there, and Natsu pulled several out. He was about to close the drawer when he noticed that underneath the box, the drawer was full of loose pictures, all face down. Curiousity, along with jealousy, rose up inside him. Who would Gray have pictures of? Here, of all places? Natsu cleaned himself off, tossing the tissues into the trash can by Gray's desk. He would take it out later, or the smell would start to bother him. Then he reached into the drawer and with a stab of guilt at invading the ice mage's privacy, he took out the pictures and turned the pile over in his hands.

There was no room in Natsu's chest for air. It had grown tight and full, and it ached inside like an old injury acting up under strain. Every one of these pictures was of him. Natsu in front of the newly rebuilt guild hall. Natsu on the Fairy Tail float in the Harvest Festival parade. Natsu with Gray at the Grand Magic Games. A picture of him sleeping that he did not ever remember seeing before now. Actually there were several here he had never seen before, more than one of him asleep. He did not know when they'd been taken. Had Gray taken them? He'd never seen him with a camera. Some of the pictures had edges that were worn and fraying, as though they had been handled too often. In one near the bottom of the stack, Natsu couldn't have been more than thirteen. There were water spots on a few of them, and when Natsu brought them to his nose he caught the faint scent of salt. _Tears._ He felt tears stinging his own eyes now.

"Oh, Gray. I'm sorry."

He put the pictures back as he had found them, closing the drawer with a click. The fire mage put a hand on his chest, as though it would ease the pain inside. Natsu had never felt like such a failure, not even as he was crushed under the fists and feet of his enemies. Gray had told him he had always had feelings for him, but Natsu had not _really_ understood. That Gray has sat here in this room, alone, crying and longing for Natsu... Natsu felt _desolate._ He had hurt Gray more than he'd ever imagined, being oblivious to both Gray's emotions and his own. He was such an idiot. Natsu had said 'I'm sorry.' Sorry was not good enough to ease this sorrow. All the euphoria from his orgasm was gone, and he was left cold and empty. Tears fell from his eyes as he shoved his face in Gray's blanket to breathe in his scent and tried to go to sleep under the weight of these heavy thoughts.

Natsu had hurt his mate, and he didn't know how, but he would make it up to him. If it took forever, that was okay with the Dragonslayer. He wanted Gray forever anyway.


	20. Dragon Force

Juvia planned on leaving Magnolia for awhile to try and clear her head. She wanted to see Gray before she left in the morning, though she knew Gray would not want to see her. When she went to the guild hall, however, Mira told her that Gray had gone to Era to give a report to the magic council. It was probably for the best, because Natsu would inevitably be with her Gray-sama, and she did not want to cause another fight. _Only because you won't win._ Shadows swirled around in her mind, and she shook her head, trying to clear the dark spiteful thoughts that grew there. Juvia would settle on going to Gray's house and laying in his bed, as she had done before when he was gone on jobs. She felt guilty for invading his space, but it was the closest she would ever get to him and she could not stop herself. Night had fallen and it was almost midnight when she crept up to his door, transforming herself into water to slide underneath. It hurt to be here, yet still she walked down the hallway and through the open bedroom door, only to stop dead in her tracks.

Natsu was curled up in Gray's bed, body relaxed in sleep with blankets pulled up to his nose. Pain shot through her hot and fresh, knives traversing her veins to bury themselves in her heart. She staggered back to lean against the door frame, and felt hot tears sting her eyes before the fell down her cheeks. She had thought the fire mage would be with Gray on his trip to Era. Seeing him here sleeping in Gray's bed as she had so often done and knowing that he had every right to be there, while she did not..... Juvia shattered inside, and darkness flowed into all the cracked and broken places. Blackness built inside her, until she thought it would pour from her very mouth. _It's supposed to be me. Not Natsu. Me._ This was Gray's fault. All this time she had thrown herself at him, and he refused her time and time again, carrying a torch for the Dragonslayer. Gray should have picked _her._ She wanted to strike out at Natsu, drown him as he slept in that bed that should belong to her. Watch him grasp at his throat as water filled his lungs. See his eyes roll back in his head as his body went slack and loose in death. Juvia had done some terrible things before, but she had never wanted to watch someone die. Now she longed for it as much as she had ever longed for her Gray-sama. She could not do it, not because she did not have the will, but because she was too weak. Natsu would not even have to kill her to stop her attacks. He could freeze her in place with _ice_ The ultimate insult, to be bound by the magic of the one she loved, wielded by the one she hated.

She fled Gray's house, misting under the door and reforming in a run. Juvia's lungs ached as she pushed herself faster and faster. She needed away from this place, away from Magnolia, away from Fairy Tail. Miles had disappeared beneath her feet before she slowed to a stop in front of a lake outside of Magnolia. Juvia collapsed in exhaustion, her feet turning to liquid where they touched the surface of the water. Dorobo watched nearby, enjoying the sight of the spell working its dark magic on her. He knew what it felt like to have those shadows run through you. They flowed through him even now, at home in his flesh after so many years. His master had unleashed this spell on him long ago, and he was thankful for it. One day, his little water mage would thank him too. 

He stepped from the darkness towards Juvia, taking it with him in ways that couldn't be seen. They had a lot to talk about, and he had to hurry. He had a lot to teach her before he sent her to Lamia Scale in Margaret Town. 

He would have to be outside of Era by sundown. He wasn't sure he would get what he wanted, but it was worth a shot. He had nothing to lose. 

_............................................................_

When the mages of the council worked their spell on him, Gray had known he would have to watch everything all over again. He had not expected that if would affect him so much, since he knew Natsu was alive and well. As the female wizards held his hands and their fight with Dorobo played out before them, broadcast in a large crystal globe for all the council to see, his heart beat wildly in his chest. When he watched Natsu hit by the Nottoru, his breath caught in a shudder and he felt nauseated all over again. He felt Gildarts put a hand on his shoulder, and lean in close to whisper to him in a low voice. 

"Hey, it's okay. He's fine. Natsu is at home, making everyone miserable because you're not there." 

Gray closed his eyes and nodded, trying to steady his breathing. His mark heated up as he listened to the spells playback, hearing himself sob and beg Natsu not to die. Gray pressed his chin to his chest, leaning forward and trying to block out the sounds of his own ragged pleading cries. The mage to his right looked at him with pity and spoke up. 

"Can we cut this now? Dorobo is gone, we know what happened after this, and this mark on his hand is burning me. I'm going to have blisters if we don't stop soon." 

"That's fine. Release him." They dropped Gray's hands, and the image cut instantly as the mage who'd held his mark shook her hand out with a hiss. 

"Sorry. I don't have any control over it." She shook her head dismissively. 

_"It's fine."_

He looked at the mark, rubbing his fingers over it affectionately and feeling a slight heat there dissipating. Gray wondered idly if it had started to get hot because he had been upset, and if Natsu's mark had done the same back in Magnolia. He hoped he wasn't worried all because Gray had been freaking out like a girl over something that was already over and done with. 

"Let's get out of here." Gildarts tugged him from the room and they made their way outside as Makarov went to talk to the council. They had arrived last night and stayed at a hotel before heading to the Council building this morning. Two of the mages needed to perform the magic had arrived much earlier than expected, and they'd been dragged out of bed to get started. It had taken the better part of the day to prepare for the spell, and it was evening now, light fading in the sky. 

Gray was happy to be back on the train, despite the sickness he knew was sure to come when it took off. They'd be back in Magnolia half a day sooner than expected, and Gray was eager to see Natsu. Watching him hit with that magic again, bleeding from his eyes and mouth.... The ice mage buried his face in his hands, rubbing them up and down. There was also the matter of his ridiculous sex drive. He'd masturbated twice, thinking of Natsu's face as he shot off, and still went to sleep with a raging hard on. This was all the Dragonslayers fault, and he looked forward to making him take responsibility. _"When you come back, I am gonna fucking ravage you."_

"Fuuuuuck...." He shifted in his seat, rearranging himself to make his erection less obvious. It wouldn't be a problem for long. When the train took off, his newfound motion sickness would take care of it for him. _I'll have to thank Natsu for that._ Even as he thought it, he realized he didn't want to tell him, though Gildarts and Makarov would probably do it anyway. Natsu would feel incredibly guilty, even though it wasn't really his fault. Gray wondered what Natsu was doing right now, if he was at the guild, or curled up in Gray's bed. His thoughts were cut off as the train surged forward, bringing up a wave of queasiness. Gray pressed his face into the scarf and willed the scent into his nose. It was worth it if it took him back to Magnolia. 

_Natsu's waiting for me._ Gray leaned back in his seat and tried to sleep. 

_........................................._

Gray awoke to chaos and screaming. A deafening crash sounded and whole train shook as it was impacted from the side. Gray felt the train start to tilt off the tracks, and before he knew what he was doing he pressed his hand to the floor. 

"Ice Make Floor!" Ice rushed across the floor of the train car, encasing his feet and lower legs and freezing them down. His ice eased over Makarov's and Gildarts feet as well, and raced throughout the train to do the same to the other passengers in an instant. "Hold on!" 

The train derailed and started rolling, over and over down the side of a hill it had been traversing. As the world spun around him his motion sickness intensified, and he was grateful for his empty stomach. Bags and suitcases crashed around them, bashing into the walls, the floor, the ceiling as they turned and shifted. Only luggage and not people, who were clinging to their seats as Gray's ice held them firm to the floor. The sound of crunching metal and breaking glass resounded through the screams and cries of fear. It finally settled on it's side with a loud bang. A glance at Gildarts and Makarov let him know that the two were okay. A voice sounded from outside the train as Gray tried to ease his stomach. 

"Little iceling! Come out and play with me!" Dorobo's voice sounded out from somewhere above them. Gray's eyes narrowed as he put a hand to the floor. 

"I'm releasing this ice everyone! Watch out! Don't get out of this train!" 

The ice crept back from Gray's feet, as well as all the passengers, some of whom landed with a thud. Everyone was freed except for Gildarts and Makarov. Instead it crept higher on their legs and engulfed them to the waist, where it thickened and hardened from regular ice into Gray's Devil Slayer ice. 

"What are you doing, Gray?" Gray found his feet, and tied Natsu's scarf tighter around his throat. He tested his footing, waiting for the dizziness to fully abate. 

"I'm sorry. He can take your magic, and you'll die. He can't take mine. I can't let you go out there." 

"Gray don't be stupid, we can beat him together. You really think he can take my magic?" 

"You're strong, but so is Natsu, and he took his in the blink of an eye. You're no Dragonslayer, Gildarts. I don't want to watch you die today." Gildarts struggled against the ice holding him, but Gray knew better than anyone how useless it was. Only Gray, or maybe Natsu, would be able to release it. _Unless you die, and then it will dissipate on its own._ Gray shook away his dark thoughts. He had to get back to Natsu. He couldn't die today. 

"Gray, as your master, I command you to release this ice." 

"Sorry, Gramps. No can do. You wanna punish me later, I'll take it with a smile." 

Gray heard the two yelling at him as he climbed up the side of the train to the ceiling, which was actually the side, and picked his way through broken glass to pull himself from the car. He jumped down and started running, not sure where the dark mage was and wanting to get some distance from the train. Gray didn't need to be worrying about collateral damage right now. His eyes searched the night for the wizard, coming up empty. Gray's question was answered when a gust of wind slammed into him from behind and knocked him onto his face. He scrambled back to his feet and turned around to see Dorobo floating above him, now in front on the crash. Gray kept moving, backwards now, trying to gain some space. He raised his hands, and Dorobo threw up his staff, but this magic wasn't for him. 

"Ice Make Wall!" A wall of his Devil Slayer ice shot up from the ground and crept over the train. He stopped it before it covered the far side so the passengers could still get out if they had to, to keep them from panicking. They would be safe now, at least from his own attacks. 

"Such a sentimental little fellow. Where are your two friends? I hear they're quite strong. I know they're not elementals but I'd like to make an exception and add them to my collection." 

"Just you and me. My friends can clean up the pieces of you that are left." 

"Oh, I like that. But I need to finish this up quickly, so forgive me for my lack of hospitality." 

Dorobo spun his staff, and half a dozen balls of light shot out of it, flying at Gray from every direction. Gray threw up an ice shield to block two as he dodged out of the path of another. Ice flew from his hands to connect with another pair, causing them to explode in the air. He turned to try and locate the others as he was blasted off his feet, crashing into a hill behind him with a spray of earth and grass. Blinking fast, he got his footing again and shot blasts of ice at Dorobo, one after the other. Now it was his turn to evade, flitting through the air, avoiding Gray's attacks. While he was distracted, Gray shot one straight at his ice wall. It ricocheted off to slam into the dark wizard, who fell to the ground with a satisfying smack. Dorobo stood up again, and threw his staff out in front of him, magic glowing in the lacrima on it's tip. Gray did not give him a moment to gather himself, or any more magic. Ice shot out of the ground around Dorobo, some of it impacting into the wizards legs. A chunk of rock appeared underneath the elemental, and he rode it backwards out of range of the attack as he sliced sideways with his staff. Gray ducked under the wind attack, only to have it curve around and hit him in the back. The ice mage caught himself on his hands and knees, spitting blood. 

"After I take care of you three, I'm going to visit your guild in Magnolia. Maybe I can't take the Dragonslayer's magic, but I can still chop off his head while your friends watch. I have enough fire, anyway. Would you like to see?" Dorobo shot out a huge blast of fire, and Gray smiled. 

Chop off Natsu's head? Fuck. No. Gray would see what Dorobo's heart looked like outside of his chest before that happened. _Maybe it would taste good._ When he thought of ripping it out and biting into it as the dark mage watched and bled, a shudder of pleasure rolled through him. His teeth felt like blades in his mouth, ready to rend and slice. The ice mage bared them at Dorobo with a hiss as the fire engulfed him. He had expected it to roll harmlessly off of him, but instead he felt a suction deep inside his chest, a cavity begging to be filled. Gray opened his mouth and breathed in, feeling the fire pour into him in an orgasmic rush. Icy blue scales broke out across Gray's face and forearms as blue fire burned in his eyes. A demonic smirk crossed over his face as he reveled in power. 

Gray had entered Dragon Force. 


	21. Two Dragons

Natsu was at the guild, much to the dismay of everyone else there. Erza and Mira had both urged him to go home, insisting that they had things covered, to no avail. He didn't drink, or eat, but sat at the bar in gloomy silence. His mark had heated up a few hours before, giving him a vague sense of apprehension, and though the feeling didn't last long it had Natsu worried anyway. Gray would be home in less than a day, and it couldn't come fast enough for Natsu. Though he had tried to keep himself busy, the past two days had been miserable and long. Natsu had woken up and found himself sleepwalking, bare feet taking his drowsing body through the streets of Magnolia towards Era even in his unconsciousness. He drug himself back to his mate's house and pushed some furniture in front of the door. Surely he wouldn't be able to move it without rousing himself fully. Laying in Gray's bed the previous night without the ice mage... Natsu had never felt such loneliness. Then when he imagined Gray feeling this gnawing emptiness night after night, year after year, he felt guilty all over again. Natsu's black mood was palpable in the air around him, and his guild mates avoided him like the plague. 

"Natsu, just go home. We're tired of looking at your sour face." Gajeel was one of the few brave enough to pick on the fire mage at a time like this.

"I'm always tired of looking at you and yet you never go anywhere. Why should I return the favor?"

"Aw, stop it or I'll have to tell Gray you were flirting with me."

"Shove it, Gajeel." The iron mage laughed, surprised that Natsu was giving up the fight so easily. He really was pitiful with Gray gone.

"You know, it was painful to watch him all this time." Natsu cut his eyes over at him at that.

"Watch who?"

"Gray. Watching you." Natsu folded his arms and lay the side of his face in them.

"You said you knew, huh? Why didn't you tell me?"

"'Cause I'm an asshole, maybe? I dunno. When I first noticed, I hadn't been mated, and I didn't really get it. I knew Gray loved you, but I didn't know he was going to be your mate until later on. I had the same _issues_ that you did. For all I knew we'd both be like that forever. What good would it have done to tell you about his feelings? You'd never have believed me anyway. Even if you did, you would've just been in denial about your own. But it was torture to see, you being so stupid, him being so fucking miserable." Natsu scowled.

"And after you were mated? Still didn't think you should tell me anything?"

"I figured the mating would hit you sooner or later. Until it did, there was nothing you could've done. Why argue with you, the most stubborn person on the planet, when I could just wait and let your instincts do the work? It's not like Levy and I have been mated that long. Just after the Grand Magic Games. When you smelled us, saw the marks, knew we were mated... I always wondered why you didn't come talk to me, ask me anything. If I'd known a Dragonslayer who'd found their mate before me, I would've asked." The fire mage sighed, rubbing his forehead against his forearms.

"What if you'd been normal? Not had the problems I did? I'd have never been able to face you again. Anyway, why would you bring this up now, to make me feel even guiltier than I already do about it?" Gajeel took a swig of his drink.

"Just to tell you not to be an asshole." Natsu's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing.

"What, 'do as I say, not as I do'?"

"Fuck off. I just... felt sorry for the kid. Now, he's got what he's always wanted, and I feel even more sorry for him, because that means he's stuck with you." Natsu sat up with a sigh.

"I know what you mean. I'm a fucking idiot." Gajeel laughed and shook his head. That had not been the answer he was expecting.

Natsu's mark started to heat up in his hand, and he turned his palm up to look at it with a frown. The warmth grew from a slight radiating sensation to an intense heat over the course of a few minutes. He rubbed his fingers over it as his stomach began to turn. Something felt... off. Fear shot down Natsu's spine, pooling in his guts like liquid as he began to sweat. He stood up, staring at the mark now burning in his skin and feeling the need to run. Run where? His legs wanted to pull him out of the guild, into the street, out of Magnolia. Natsu's heart pounded in his chest as adrenaline raced through his body. Standing in the middle of his own guild, he felt like he was in battle, though he was never afraid like this in a fight. Except when he thought Gray was going to get hit by Dorobo's spell. Realization dawned on him. _Gray._ He had to get to him.

"Natsu?"

"It's Gray." Natsu opened and closed his fist, panic rising. He looked toward Gajeel, who's face twisted in anger. The iron mage wasn't happy his guild mates were in danger either. Not only Gray, but Gildarts and the master were with him, too.

"Fire. Go outside, set a fire." 

Natsu's feet were moving before Gajeel even finished talking, and the iron dragon was right on his heels as he bolted from the guild hall. If Gray was in trouble, maybe he had been fighting. Hopefully there was a fire there. Could he do it if there wasn't? Natsu ran a short distance away from the guild hall and put out his hands, shooting streams of fire at the ground until it grew into a huge blaze. He kept it lit with his magic while he gazed into it, but shook his head.

"He's not there."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I can feel Gray, if I started running toward Era I'd be able to find him eventually, but he's not through these flames."

"Shit. Maybe there's no fire there." Natsu stepped into the inferno, willing himself to Gray, but nothing happened. He let his fire go out and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"GOD DAMNIT! He's too far away!" Erza and a few of the guild were filtering outside at the commotion. 

Natsu couldn't get to him, couldn't reach his mate. He felt his adrenaline swell again, and he could swear he tasted blood. The Dragonslayer fisted his hands and shouted again, fire erupting all around him in his rage. Natsu felt scales form along his face and arms, and he was not surprised when lighting arced around his body. Gray _needed_ him, and Natsu couldn't do anything. The ground shuddered around him from the strength of his magic. _Find him. Get to Gray. A mate protects._

"FUCK!" The fire grew in intensity, and just as the Dragonslayer was about to set another blaze and try again, he felt his mark throb and grow cold. He looked down at his hand in time to see what looked like electricity flashing across the mating mark. When it receded the mark was no longer red. It was an icy blue, and if Gray's magic had a color, this would be it. Natsu's panic eased back and he felt enormous power rolling through him. _Mated to a dragon._ The voice spoke in his head, his dragon's voice, words from deep within him. Natsu stared at the blue circle incredulously, and then something clicked into place in his mind. _Gray's teeth. Like a Dragonslayers._ He ran up to the wall of the guild, and with thoughts of his mate, he willed ice from his palm to cover the surface. When it coated the bricks in front of him, Natsu put his hand to it. Gray was there, he could feel him. _Gray._ Ice crept up his hand, up his arm, and he began to sink into the surface. Gajeel looked on, dumbfounded for a moment before he understood what was happening. The guild members who had come outside looked on in shock as Natsu began disappearing into the wall.

"Levy's gonna be so jealous. Go get your boy back. Gramps and Gildarts too." 

Natsu nodded as the ice climbed over his shoulder and down his chest, encasing his neck, creeping up his face. He pushed forward, and felt utterly triumphant as the ice swallowed him whole.

 

................................................................

 

Dark laughter poured from Gray's mouth as fire suffused him from within, a triumphant sound straight from the depths of hell. It chilled Dorobo in a place inside that he had not felt in quite some time. A trickle of blood dripped from Gray's lips and he looked like a madman as he bent over, holding his chest while the laughter intensified, his body shaking with it. The dark mage was frozen in place. His fire had not worked on the ice mage, had instead been absorbed into him somehow. Only a fire Dragonslayer could consume flames like that. Dorobo saw icy scales across the mage's face that had not been there before and felt a sinking in his stomach. When those burning blue eyes looked up to meet his with a sardonic grin, a whisper oozed through his mind like poison. _Monster._

Gray took a deep breath and felt magic coil inside him, tight and _eager_ to be unleashed. Gray thought of his ice. He thought of his mate. Eyes closed, he let out a huge breath.

It was the roar of a dragon.

Ice and fire swirled together in a vortex of energy and as Gray watched it soar through the air towards his enemy, all he could think was, _so beautiful._ His magic mixed together with Natsu's to bring down their foe... Gray shivered with the rightness of it. It wasn't as strong as Natsu's Light Flame roar on Tenrou, but since it was Gray's first use of dragon magic, he decided to give himself a break. Dorobo blinked rapidly, coming out of his daze and throwing his staff up in a block. He might as well have been naked and without magic in the face of such raw power. It hit him head on, slamming him into the ice wall behind him with a loud cracking sound. The ice had not cracked. Dorobo thought maybe it was all of his bones at once. Blood poured from his head down his back in hot rivulets as he staggered drunkenly to his feet. He took a few steps away from the ice wall and tried to steady himself. Dorobo needed to get this over with. He felt blind rage at the thought of being brought to his knees by this pitiful child of a mage. This boy was not born a Dragonslayer, he was nothing but an ice make wizard. He would take this ice, and this fire and leave a corpse behind for his little pink haired mate to find. He heard the sound of ice crackling and ignored it as he took the stance for his spell. Maybe the ice was breaking after all, and he smirked at the thought. 

Gray saw Dorobo get ready to throw his Nottoru spell, and felt his mouth erupt into a bloody smile. He began running towards the wizard. When he threw out his magic, and it bounced off of Gray, he wanted to be close. Gray wanted to see his face, his eyes when his most powerful tool was rendered useless. He slowed when he saw his ice wall begin to shimmer and break behind Dorobo. No, not break. Ice began to push out of it, like a sculpture willing itself from the surface. Gray felt elated, and he did not know why. An arm of ice emerged and crackled as ice fell away to reveal skin underneath, followed by a shoulder. Feet pushed out underneath, shaking of white blue chunks to reform into flesh. Gray saw the red guild mark revealed as a body tore out of the ice, and he thought his face would break in two from the ridiculous grin he wore. Dorobo launched the spell right as Natsu shook off the last of the frozen shards, standing behind the dark mage with the most frightening expression Gray had ever seen. It warmed him inside.

"Nottoru!"

The pink-white magic flowed towards Gray and Natsu's face twisted in deadly fury while Gray's was filled with childish glee. Lightning and fire shot out of the Dragonslayer as he watched the spell fly through the air and hit his mate. Gray put out his arms and closed his eyes as he felt the magic brush over him like a caress, evaporating into nothingness in the air. He couldn't help himself. Laughter came unbidden from his throat, the kind you hear in the shadowed rooms of an asylum. Dorobo's eyes widened in disbelief as his spell dissipated and disappeared. His spell had failed? Impossible. The wizard did not have time to dwell on this.

Natsu's hand closed around the back of his neck as he snatched Dorobo up and slammed him viciously into the earth, face first, before picking him back up by the throat and _throwing_ him bodily at Gray. Dorobo clung to his staff as he sailed through the air, boneless and disoriented. Gray ran forward as he neared the mage and leaped into the air, catching him like a bridesmaid after a bouquet and crashing on top of him to the ground. The dark mage blinked, putting his staff between them and trying to push the ice mage off. Natsu reached the pair and crushed the lacrima on the staff into the ground, shattering it with flames under his foot. Gray straddled Dorobo's chest and started raining down punches on his face, one after another, while Natsu looked on with pride. He kept his foot on the staff as he took in the blue scales across Gray's face, his arms, the icy blue in his eyes, and felt possessive. _My dragon._ His mate's knuckles were bloody, his face euphoric with violence. Gray looked beautiful as he broke their enemy underneath him. Natsu wanted to take him then and there.

Dorobo struggled underneath the weight of the blows, staggered anew by each one. He felt something strange in his stomach, his throat, his chest. His hands were shaking as he looked up at this pair of monsters through blurry vision. Was this fear? Dorobo was afraid. He could not even remember the last time he'd felt it, this incredible urge not to win but to _get away._ If he could stand he would be running, as fast as his feet would carry him. Glancing into those burning blue eyes above him shining with joy, he felt as though the mage's ice had wormed it's way inside him, freezing his insides up. Dorobo felt his nose break, the bones in his cheek shattering under the impact of a hard blow. He'd bitten part of his tongue off. He was _beaten,_ helpless under the dark stare and fierce claws of these two dragons. The wizard needed to get out of there, could mist away and escape but only if no one was touching him. He would die bleeding and weak under these fists if he could not. Dorobo tried to find thoughts in his mind under this blanket of panic. _Staff. My staff._ Dorobo would have to play dirty. He pulled on his magic, reaching deep inside Gray's psyche. He could not read minds, but to work this spell, he could find the form and voice of someone the ice mage had loved and lost. He would not know anything about them, who they were, and he could only maintain it for the barest of instances, but it didn't matter. The dark mage felt his face transform.

Dorobo's face changed underneath Gray to reveal dark hair and feminine features. Gray was no longer crushing Dorobo under his punches. He looked down into Ur's frightened, teary face.

"Please don't hurt me, Gray."

Gray's breath caught in surprise and he froze mid-strike as his teacher stared up at him in terror. It was all Dorobo needed. He gripped the half of his weapon that Natsu did not have under his foot, and pulled hard. The staff split in two to reveal a menacing blade that he swung out, slicing across Gray's abdomen . As the ice mage pulled back away from the bite of the steel, Dorobo kicked him in the chest and rolled backwards. Natsu did not even look at Dorobo as he misted into the air and vanished. Blood poured from Gray's stomach, gushing out as he landed on his back. Natsu clamored after him and put a hand over the wound, freezing it solid. As he looked at the wound under the ice, he realized just how deep it was. Without the ice to close it, Gray would have been _disemboweled._ He looked up towards Gray, furious tears in his eyes.

"I'm gonna kill that fucking bastard. I can't fucking believe he got away. He hurt you." He traced the blue scales on his mate's face as they faded away into his skin. He felt his own doing the same as he pressed his lips gently into Gray's. "I'm glad you're okay. I'm gonna eat his fucking heart." Gray _laughed._

"We'll have to split it." Gray struggled to sit up, trying and failing to bite back a hiss of pain. "It's all my fault. He turned into Ur for a second there, I knew it wasn't her but it threw me off guard. I let him get away."

"Don't get up yet. Give it a minute." Natsu pressed him back into the ground, and Gray could only weakly submit. "It's not your fault. If he had turned into you or someone from the guild under me I would've hesitated too." The fire mage thought of the first look he got of Gray, icy scales on his face and blue fire burning in his eyes as ice and flames roiled around him, and what he looked like as his fists slammed into Dorobo's face. "You went into Dragon Force."

"Yeah, I guess I did."

"You looked really fucking sexy." Gray laughed again, then grabbed his stomach.

"Don't make me laugh, it hurts." Natsu's brow furrowed with worry. How fast would this wound start to heal, now that they were mated? He willed it to close with everything he had. "You came through my ice."

"Yeah, and it was fucking cold, and strange. I felt my whole body turn into ice. I was worried for a second there, but then I could smell you even stronger."

"Thanks for coming to help me."

"Shit, some help I was. You looked like you had it covered." Gray motioned to the ice covered slice in his guts.

"Obviously not."

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again. Look at all the trouble you get into."

"You're one to talk, trying to make yourself human without even saying anything to me, you asshole."

"Sorry about that." Natsu glanced over at the train. "Where's Makarov and Gildarts? Why were you fighting alone? Are they okay?" A guilty look passed over Gray's face.

"Yeah, about that. I might have frozen them into their seats on the train so they couldn't get out."

"You... you what?"

"Dorobo could've taken their magic, hell he said that's what he wanted to do. They could've died." A slow smile broke out on Natsu's face, and it was like the sunrise. Breathtaking.

"Ooooh, they're gonna be pissed. I think I'm a bad influence on you." He smirked as he crawled up into a crouch. I'm carrying you, don't throw a fit." Natsu reached underneath Gray and picked him up, princess style.

"Do you have to carry me like this? I feel like a girl."

"It's the only way not to hurt your stomach. Besides, you carried me like this through the forest. I'm just returning the favor. _Princess._ "

"You're going to regret that. I'm going to make you suffer." Natsu just grinned as he made his way over to where their allies were, furious and frozen in place.

"I think I'm going to like regretting it." Gray just shook his head as Natsu picked his way over ice and earth to free Gildarts and Makarov.

He was more afraid of facing those two than he had ever been of Dorobo.


	22. Usurper

Natsu carried Gray over and he thawed the ice surrounding the train, and let his magic flow into it to free Makarov and Gildarts. He knew they were free when he heard a pair of thuds and they started swearing. Gildarts was climbing out first, grouching the entire way.

"Gray, I am gonna kill you. I can't believe you would do something so stupid." He landed in a crouch before looking up to see Natsu there with murder in his eyes,

"What are you going to do?" The look on Natsu's face as he held Gray, wounded in his arms, gave even the crash magician pause, and he elected not to answer the question.

"What the fuck, Natsu? How did you even get here?"

"I came through Gray's ice when I sensed he was in danger. So. You're going to do what to my mate?"

"You came through his _ice?_ "

"It's a Dragonslayer thing. Answer my question. What are you going to do to Gray? I didn't quite catch it." Gray smirked at the expression on Gildarts face. It was incredibly satisfying to see him so wary.

"Ah... nothing, I guess. He's all fucked up now anyway." Gildarts turned his attention to Gray as Makarov made his way out. "Which is your own fault. Shit, you two are fucking scary now." Gray waved a hand at the pair dismissively.

"I saved your lives. Less bitching, more gratitude. Dorobo got away. Sorry about that." Makarov looked furious when he saw the gash iced over on Gray's stomach. He did not even question Natsu's presence. 

"You okay, Gray? How deep is that cut?" He felt awkward talking to them while Natsu held him this way, but he knew there was no way he was going to let him walk.

"Deep enough to see my fucking dinner. It itches like a motherfucker. Honestly, I think it's closing already. What are we going to do? Start walking?" Makarov shook his head.

"These trains have lacrima built into them that alert the stations if anything happens like this. They'll know we're derailed and that the track is intact. Another train is probably headed this way from Era, and since the council knows we were on it, they'll probably send someone here to see what happened. Their not stupid, they'll suspect it was Dorobo. Let's just sit tight and wait."

Makarov turned out to be right, and before they knew it another train was there ushering the passengers on with mages to give first aid to those who had cuts or scrapes and gather luggage. No one had been seriously injured, thanks to Gray's ice magic. The two mages who had done the spell on Gray earlier were there with a member of the council and a small version of the viewing crystal. Natsu growled at them when they took Gray's hands so they could watch the fight take place. When he saw Gray's flickering image consume flames and enter Dragon Force, blue scales creeping across his skin, pride swelled inside of him. His dragon roar full of fire and ice was beautiful, and powerful, and Natsu felt himself getting hard as he watched it. His mate was _strong,_ and fierce, and even Dorobo trembled in his wake. Natsu pressed himself against Gray's back and used his hand to turn the ice mage's face towards him. He took his mouth, even as the other wizards still had his hands watching the battle take place in the small orb, and Gray moaned. The image began to cloud and someone cleared their throat. Natsu pulled back with a vicious growl in their direction, putting his arms around Gray's chest from behind and eying them all with venom as he buried his face in Gray's hair. The council wizards knew the two were a couple, but seeing Natsu act like this still had them shocked. They'd seen the fire Dragonslayer in action many times before, destroying his enemy with flames and violence, but such affection seemed out of place to them. Watching him fawn shamelessly over this ice wizard, both covered in bite marks, was somehow even more frightening. 

By the time they were done the train was ready to depart and the Fairy Tail wizards climbed on wearily, making their way to their sleeper car. Makarov had insisted that Gray and Natsu have their own, mostly to spare himself grief. Gray entered first and sat down on the wide seat, and when Natsu shut the door behind him, Gray shivered in anticipation. The fire mage's eyes glittered with desire before he looked down at the ice over Gray's stomach. Natsu took a couple of breaths before he sat down next to Gray and brushed the hair from his eyes.

"How's that cut?"

Gray laid down on his back and put a hand to the wound, pulling the ice back with a wince. It had closed up, but was not totally healed yet.

"Should be all good by the time we get back to Magnolia." Gray let his magic flow back out and freeze over it once again. Natsu climbed over Gray, straddling his hips and roughly palming him through his clothes. Gray was already hard, had been since they came into this car, and he moaned. Desire shot through Natsu, hot and hard.

"I really want to make love to you. I don't want to hurt you though. It'll have to wait until we get back home but... I have to touch you right now. Tell me if your stomach hurts." Gray pulled Natsu's face down to his own.

"Shut up, Natsu."

Their lips came together and they both growled at the contact, tongues intertwining. Natsu took Gray's mouth ferociously, and Gray was glad. He needed this worse than he'd realized. Gray's entire body was alight with pleasure. Natsu pulled back from the kiss gasping for air, trailing his lips down Gray's chin to his neck. He licked and sucked at the tender flesh there, thrusting his hips into Grays. The ice mage's hands roamed up and down Natsu's chest and stomach, circling his back and pulling him closer. It felt so good, but Gray wanted _more._

"Touch me, Natsu. Please."

Natsu groaned into his throat and kept his mouth on it as he tugged his pants down around his hips. He freed Gray's erection in kind and pressed them together as his tongue licked up to the ice mage's once again. Gray reached down and wrapped his hands around their lengths, squeezing them together tightly before he started moving his wrists. Natsu jerked in pleasure before pushing one of Gray's hands away to take them in hand along with him. Their hands started stroking together, and Natsu had to see. He leaned back to watch as their shafts rubbed against each other, Gray's fingers wrapped partway around his cock while his encased the ice mage's. 

"Oh, fuck..."

Natsu couldn't watch, it was too much for him. He leaned his head back, eyes closed as he bit his lip. Gray loved to watch him do that. Those teeth closed over his mouth meant he was really feeling it, and Gray felt himself throb harder in response. Their cocks twitched and leaked, slick and hot as Natsu's grip tightened around them, hand flying faster.

"Shit. I'm close, Gray."

"Me too. Soon."

Natsu kissed Gray hard and when he felt the fire mage's teeth bite down on his own mouth, it was too good. His body tensed and shuddered as he shot hot ropes of seed across himself. Gray tried to turn his head away, but Natsu clung to his mouth with his own. He wanted to _taste_ Gray's moans. He grunted and gasped into that wet heat, and felt Natsu's body go tight before he released Gray's lips and joined him in climax. Gray's orgasm faded before Natsu was finished, and he watched the fire mage groan, mouth open, expression twisted in glorious ecstasy. He collapsed next to Gray, careful of his stomach, breath heaving in and out of his lungs. Natsu laughed.

"The train hasn't even started moving yet." Gray laughed along with him.

"Shit. We're pathetic." Natsu took off his vest and used it to clean them up as best he could before laying back down next to his mate.

"Nah. I just missed you."

"Me, too." The train lurched forward as if on cue, and Natsu curled into Gray, easing his arm under him and pulling him onto his chest. He breathed in Gray's scent, and for the second time in his life, he felt no illness as the the car rocked underneath them. It was an amazing feeling. A weakness shaken off, strength in it's place. There was nothing like it. The ice mage pressed his face in close to Natsu and sighed.

"I still want to fuck you. Shit, this is gonna be a long ride."

"Not as long as the last one." He wanted to eat the words after they came out, had said them without thinking.

"What do you mean?"

"I went into Dragon Force. I have Dragonslayer teeth. My sense of smell is heightened." Gray waited for Natsu to put the pieces together on his own.

"Ahhhh fuck. You got sick on the train?"

"Your scarf helped. I would've been screwed without it. I'm sorry I made fun of you all those years."

"Man, I'm sorry about that. I didn't think about the motion sickness thing. Don't worry about making fun of me, it's okay. I deserved it for being so stupid. You were just trying to keep your feelings a secret." He sighed heavily. "I wish I would have known. I don't know if it would have done any good, but I feel so bad for leaving you alone all those years."

"Don't worry about it. You're mine now. That's all that counts."

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

Natsu held his mate close, and let the scent of his lover and the movements of the train soothe him to sleep as it ate up the miles towards home.

 

................................................................................

 

Juvia stood outside Lamia Scale for a moment before entering, steeling herself. She could do this. She was strong. Natsu had taken something precious from her, and she would do what she had to to take it back. Even this. When she entered, everyone looked up, surprised to see her when her guild was in turmoil. Lyon was there, as she knew he would be, having returned home from Fairy Tail once he was sure Gray was okay. In a way she felt sorry for him, living his whole life in Gray's shadow, weak where Gray was strong. Juvia had been in someone's shadow too, without even realizing it. Totally eclipsed by an enemy she did not know she was fighting. She knew what if felt like to be stuck underneath the weight of another's greatness. It hurt inside in a way nothing else did. When he caught sight of her, he approached with a concerned look.

"Juvia? Is something wrong?"

"Yes. I came here to get something that belongs to me."

"Something that belongs to you?"

Dorobo fought his opponents a little before unleashing his spell on them, he said you had to get a feel for their magic before you took it. Juvia did not need to fight Lyon. She knew his magic like she knew her own. She could see it in her mind, the movements of his hands, the placement of his feet, the arc of his arms as he threw it outwards towards his enemies. It was beautiful. Juvia had once thought Lyon was beautiful too, had for the briefest of moments thought that she could love him, could be happy with him. His eyes were warm for someone with such cold magic. Magic that she could see even in sleep. It would be easy for her to take it. Juvia pulled out a lacrima, pointing it to the ground as she raised her fist in the air.

"Juvia? What are you doing?" She slowly brought her hands together and felt power thrumming inside her like never before. Dorobo had been kind to her, bestowing such magic on her when she had nothing to give in return. _You will,_ he had said. She would prove him right. A ball of pink white light surged before her.

"Nottoru!" 

Everyone in the guild hall gasped at the word as they watched the spell slam into their friend. They rushed towards him, knowing whose spell it was. Knowing it meant death.

"LYON!"

He fell to the ground, blood already leaking from his eyes as he looked up at Juvia, vision blurry.

"Why, Juvia? I loved you. I love you still." Lyon coughed in a spray of bright red blood and went still. Juvia's heart clenched in agony. It hurt, much worse than she had expected. More than it should have, Juvia thought. Maybe she loved Lyon too.

"I'm sorry, Lyon." 

She turned into mist and vanished as the guild erupted into screams and tears. They surrounded their guild mate and called for their healers, but it was too late.

Lyon Vastia was dead.


	23. Center Stage

Juvia took form in the forest where she was supposed to meet her teacher, and felt a sharp sting on her thigh that almost made her lose her footing. She examined her leg, and froze in shock. Her guild mark was _gone,_ vanished like it had never been there at all. When she rubbed her hand over the skin there, it felt tender and sore. Seeing her leg without the Fairy Tail emblem hurt inside, too. She thought the guild master had to remove the marks himself, had lost something that tied her to Gray. A voice spoke in her head, a high pitched feminine whisper, and even Juvia knew the voice belonged to Mavis, the guild founder. _You took a life, not in defense or vengeance but for power. You are not my child._ Tears came to Juvia's eyes, and all she could see in her mind was the image of Lyon's form going still. Juvia went to her knees as the tears fell, water from water, dripping onto her hands clenched in the dirt as she was wracked with sobs. Dorobo had told her to have Lyon meet her in the woods, and yet she'd walked right into the guild hall in front of her allies, taken his life where all the world could see. Why had she done that? _Because you wanted to be punished for it, even before it happened._ She did not hear Dorobo when he arrived, and jumped when he spoke.

 

"What is it with you Fairy Tail wizards, pretending you don't feel the things you do, ignoring that which is obvious?" 

 

Dorobo had thought that the water mage was in love with the mate of the fire mage. It was clear she had also cared deeply for the ice wizard he'd just sent her to claim the magic of. Contrary to what he'd told the girl, he really didn't need her to have ice magic to accomplish his goal. He'd sent her to claim the ice to nurture the darkness in her, to make her feel powerful. Allow her to feel the cold energy rolling through her and think of what had been taken from her so she would want vengeance. Now it had backfired, the little wizard a stranger to her own emotions. She'd taken the life of one she loved. They had taken a step back, instead of forward, and they were in a hurry. Dorobo would have to waste some of his energy to imbue her with even more shadow magic. The dark mage was using copious amounts of illusion magic to keep up a calm, normal facade, but he would not be able to maintain it for long. He was still broken and bruised from the beating he'd taken, and he could not use healing magic on himself. Dorobo's facial structure would be forever altered, cheeks sunken, nose twisted. It did not matter. He wanted to take down the council, but after all this he would settle for destroying this guild of fairies and the town they called home. Dorobo's master would be disappointed, but he no longer cared. He had been _defeated_ , powerless and bloody in the dirt, helpless under the fists of a child. Long ago he'd wanted vengeance against the council for the deaths of his family, but now, after so long, he could hardly remember their names, let alone their faces. He should have been dead decades ago, stolen magic holding him together by sheer force of will. 

 

The council was full of darkness in it's own way, Dorobo's kindred, wolves in sheeps clothing. The dark mage could respect that, it was devious in ways even he was not. But he could not allow an insult such as this to slide. The Dragonslayer who had reclaimed his fire moments after if had taken what Dorobo had worked so hard for. The ice mage who had spilled his blood and broken his body. Their guild full of fairies, ignorant of themselves and yet striking out against him. He was done playing games with children. 

 

Dorobo would bury them under the bones and bricks of the people and places they loved so much.

 

.......................................................................................................

 

Makarov wanted Natsu and Gray to go to the guild hall when they returned to Magnolia, night still in full swing, so he could talk to them about Dorobo, but when he told them this they both started laughing at him in unison.

 

"We're going to Gray's house."

 

"You can go to Gray's after we go over everything that happened with the rest of the guild."

 

"No, we can do that later." Makarov groaned in frustration.

 

"Natsu-" The fire wizard opened his mouth to argue, then a strange look crossed his face.

 

"Okay. We'll go to the guild first. But it can't take long." 

 

Gray looked at Natsu, incredulous that he would agree to such a thing. Gray wanted Natsu to make good on his promise. His stomach was healed, and he was desperate to have the Dragonslayer inside him. When they got to the guild, it was the middle of the night and mostly deserted. Guildarts, Makarov, Erza, and Mirajane were all there. Gajeel and Levy sat at the bar looking sleepy. The rest of the guild was empty. Natsu kissed Gray on the lips quickly.

 

"I'll be right back." 

 

He abandoned Gray to scurry off, and Gray watched him go with suspicion, leaving the ice mage to go over everything with the guild. Natsu came back a few minutes later when the retelling was conveniently winding down, putting his arms around Gray from behind.

 

"So you're a Dragonslayer now." Gajeel sounded skeptical, but Levy looked thrilled. This meant that once she could use Gajeel's magic, she too could go into Dragon Force. The thought of becoming so much stronger obviously thrilled her.

 

"Uh, yeah, I guess so. I got sick on the train, too." Gajeel laughed at that.

 

"Serves you right for making fun of us."

 

Gray didn't argue, wasn't even really paying attention. Natsu was distracting him, pressed up against him, breath on his neck. Makarov had asked Sting and Rogue to stay close by. Those two, along with the two mated Dragonslayer couples in Fairy Tail were the only ones immune to Dorobo's fatal spell. He needed them to stay in Magnolia, the front line in case the dark mage came here to attack.

 

"Six on one sounds fine to me. Can we go now?" Natsu was pressing his lips against the side of Gray's throat as he spoke, hands running up and down his chest. He was just as impatient as Gray, with less inhibition. The ice mage couldn't find it in himself to be embarrassed. He wanted Natsu now.

 

"Get out of here, no on needs to see that. Be back first thing tomorrow." 

 

Makarov shooed the two away, and they were out the door without another word. It was all Natsu could do not to pick Gray up and run to his house. He forced his feet slower, only because he didn't want Gray to be too tired when they got there. Natsu had missed him, and wanted to wear Gray out all by himself. Natsu was glad they'd taken a brief shower together on the train. If not, he would've taken Gray filthy and bloody. He couldn't wait any longer. When they finally arrived, Natsu hit the lights and went to the living room, opening the curtains that concealed the glass sliding door which opened to the back yard and staring out into the night with a smile. The couch was facing the door, Gray observed with confusion.

 

"You moved my furniture?" 

 

Natsu pulled Gray into his arms and kissed him, slow and deep, as he took off the ice mage's shirt. Gray moaned into it, thankful that he healed so quickly so he could enjoy this. The Dragonslayer seemed content to make love to Gray's mouth, gripping his hips as his tongue slowly thrust in and out, making him desperate for more. His hands groped at Natsu's chest, Natsu's back, pulling at his hair, holding his cheek. The fire mage loved the feel of those needy touches exploring him, urging him on. Gray was too good for him, and he deserved his reward. Natsu released his hold on Gray to tug at his pants, pushing them off towards his ankles. Gray stepped out of them, grasping at Natsu's own, wanting to feel his skin against him. Natsu chuckled darkly at his eagerness, helping Gray get him out of his clothes as well. Natsu grabbed Gray's hips again and ground himself against him, swollen shafts rubbing deliciously against each other. Gray's head went back in pleasure as Natsu placed soft kisses across his jaw, his neck, his shoulder.

 

"N-natsu. The curtain's open." Natsu glanced over at the sliding doors before leading Gray over to them and turning the ice mage to face it, pressing his naked body against the glass.

 

"What? You worried someone will see? I thought you'd like that." Gray's cock twitched at the thought. He _would_ like that, but didn't think Natsu felt the same, being so possessive.

 

"They could."

 

"I hope so."

 

Natsu reached around Gray and gripped his shaft tight, pushing him hard against the surface. He rubbed the leaking tip against the glass as his other hand reached out towards the light switch. Suddenly the light inside switched off, plunging them in darkness as the outside fixture turned on to illuminate his back porch. Cana sat on one of Gray's lawn chairs, eyes full of delight. She grinned, expression mischievous, and waved at Gray. He felt his cock throb and swell. _Cana was watching them._ Natsu switched the lights again, and Gray stared at his reflection in the glass, mouth open and panting. He watched the blush color his own cheeks as Natsu started stroking his arousal, leaving streaks of fluid on the clear surface. This was what Cana was seeing, Natsu making a mess of him. Natsu's erection pressed into Gray from behind, a threat and a promise. His breathing turned ragged and he felt his hips thrusting in Natsu's grasp.

 

"Natsu! Cana's out there!"

 

"I know, I told her to come. I wanted her to watch you. Your cock is so fucking hard now, thinking about someone watching me touch you, watching me take you." Natsu squeezed Gray's arousal harder, stroking faster. Gray moaned, body jerking under Natsu's hands. His arms were above his head, supporting him, and he felt his hands fist open and closed. Natsu pressed his mouth right against Gray's ear, hot air caressing it as he spoke. "I wasn't too sure about it, but looking at your face right now... God, it was worth it, you're so fucking sexy. I hope she knows how lucky she is, getting to see you like this. She's probably out there touching herself, watching me jerk you off. Waiting to see me fuck you." 

 

"Nnnngh...." 

Gray trembled, fighting down the sensation climbing up his shaft. _Cana watching, hands buried in her clothes..._ Gray grunted at the thought, a throaty growling sound. 

 

"Should I take you on your hands and knees for her? Or fold your legs up to your shoulders when I pound my cock into you?" 

 

"Nnn.... Natsu..." Natsu pressed his engorged shaft against Gray, moving gently against him. He positioned his length between Gray's thighs and pushed his feet together, sealing his arousal in tight between them. 

 

"Yeah, make those sweet sounds for me, say my name with that sexy voice." He put a hand on the outside of Gray's left thigh. "Hold it tight for me, Gray." 

 

Gray felt it sliding underneath his balls, thrusting between Gray's legs as Natsu's mouth descended on his neck, licking and sucking up and down. Gray heard a whine escape from his throat, the sound of an animal in heat. Natsu's hand flying up and down on his cock, his hard shaft thrusting between Gray's thighs, that mouth, sloppily kissing his neck, Cana's eyes in the darkness, watching it all..... Heat radiated out from his groin, muscled strung tight.

 

"Haahh... N-n-nnnatsu... Mmmmm..." He couldn't even form words, his mouth gaped open in a gasp. Natsu's silky voice was against his jaw.

 

"What is it, my love?" He moved faster between Gray's thighs, grip on the ice mage's cock like a vise, tongue trailing across his skin.

 

" 'mmm gonna come." Natsu pressed his mouth against Gray's ear again, and out of it came words straight from Gray's fantasies.

 

"Come for me, Gray."

 

Ecstasy. Gray felt his cock jerk hard, shooting hot streams of seed against the cold glass. He shook and moaned under Natsu's touch, skin blushed and shining with sweat. When he went still, Natsu swept him off his feet and deposited him on the couch before climbing on top of him and taking his mouth viciously. The Dragonslayer moaned against his lips, hands roving up and down Gray's flesh. The ice mage pulled back, still out of breath and panting, so Natsu transferred his mouths attentions to Gray's chest, circling a nipple with his tongue before sucking it in. Gray buried his hands in Natsu's hair, boneless under his merciless advances. His legs wrapped around Natsu, heels pressing into his back, urging him closer. The fire mage switched to the other nipple, lapping before sinking in his teeth.

 

"Ahhh..."

 

Gray felt his cock twitch, stirring slowly back to life. He sucked and mouthed at Gray's chest and throat for what felt like an eternity, pausing intermittently to savage Gray's lips until he was breathless and gasping. When his cock stood up between them, Natsu eyed it greedily before taking it into his mouth. He bobbed up and down, taking it deep into his throat before pulling back to lick the shaft up and down. Natsu grabbed Gray's thighs and spread them wide before latching onto Gray's entrance with his mouth, tongue delving inside. Gray jerked, trying to escape the assault.

 

"Natsu!"

 

Natsu ignored him, mercilessly mouthing his opening, getting it wet and hot. Gray groaned at the sensation, eyes glancing at the shining glass of the doors. _Cana watching Natsu lick me, suck me, take me...._

 

"Fff-fffuck...."

 

Natsu withdrew his mouth and inserted a finger instead, sucking Gray's cock back between his lips. He soon added a second, spreading Gray open as he searched out that tight knot inside him. _There._ Gray shuddered, moaning and twisting under Natsu's ministrations. The Dragonslayer sucked hard, sealing his lips around the swollen arousal with wet, obscene noises. His fingers stroked aggressively inside his mate, wringing sensual sounds from his lips. Gray's hands pulled violently at Natsu's hair, mindless in pleasure, and Natsu relished each tug on his locks. Gray looked towards their audience periodically, and his cock throbbed each time he did. He thrust into Natsu's mouth, choking him with his length, and Natsu took it with glee.

 

"Nnnnng..now. Again. Ahhh....."

 

Natsu felt the searing fluid shoot into his throat, and he gulped it down, glorying in the taste of his mate as it went down his throat. Gray's movements finally eased, and Natsu sat up to look at him. Nothing in the world was this beautiful, this perfect. Gray's cheeks were pink, mouth open and gasping for air, perfect lips wet and shining. His eyes were closed, body gleaming with sweat and glowing with the aftermath of his orgasm. He was radiant. Natsu was not finished with him yet. He rubbed his thumb across Gray's lips, causing him to open his eyes and glance up at the fire mage.

 

"You're so beautiful." His face heated up brighter, but he held Natsu's gaze.

 

"So are you." Natsu didn't blush. Instead, a cocky grin crossed his face as he put the fingers of his left hand to Gray's mouth.

 

"Suck."

 

Gray groaned and rushed to obey, coating his fingers in saliva as he quaked with need. He wanted Natsu inside him, needed him there. Natsu removed his hand, stroking his erection with Gray's wetness before taking his arousal in hand and pressing the head to his mate's opening. 

 

"I'll take you like this. I need to see your face." He pushed his thighs wide and eased slowly inside with a moan. As Natsu slowly entered his mate, he grabbed Gray's face and turned it towards the glass doors. "Let her see it too. Let her watch how good you feel with me inside you." Gray watched his reflection, face rapturous as Natsu spread him open. He panted harder as he swallowed Natsu's cock up, inch by delicious inch. When his mate was seated fully inside him, he shuddered in ecstasy, weary shaft doggedly coming back to life. 

 

"Please Natsu. Please." He couldn't find any more words. Lost. He was lost.

 

"Please what?" He rolled around underneath him, desperate for Natsu to move.

 

"Please. Please, fuck, _please,_ Natsu." The sound of his mate's pleading voice _begging_ for it resonated inside him. The upmost truth in this life. The only thing that mattered.

 

"Shiiiit, Gray. I love you." Gray rocked and shifted, needy and shameless, seeking friction.

 

"Lllll.... nnnnnggg.... Love you, Natsu."

 

Natsu began to move, and he was not gentle. Could not be, not anymore. He pounded into Gray without mercy, making good on his word. He _ravaged_ him. The couch jolted across the floor underneath them with each vicious thrust. Gray mewled and moaned, tossing his head back and forth, blind with pleasure. Natsu grabbed his jaw, facing him again towards watchful eyes, and Gray's cock began to swell and twitch between them. Natsu palmed Gray's cock roughly, jerking it in time with his assault. Pleasing his mate so thoroughly, watching him twist and shudder had been hard on Natsu, and he would not last long. He leaned down to kiss Gray's swollen lips as he took him with increasing violence. The ice mage jolted and shook, overwhelmed with sensation. There was nothing but this. Natsu was his entire world, and it was perfect. Natsu was relentless, determined to finish his mate again. Just as he was certain there was no way he could come, that he was too drained, heat began to spread through him like fire in his veins. Natsu seemed hell bent on proving him wrong as he moved over him, feeling Gray's moans on his lips. Gray opened his eyes and locked gazes with his mate, and it was over. Natsu filled Gray up with jets of seed, biting his lip and trembling with pleasure as the thrust. He felt Gray's hot fluid spilling over his hand, felt Gray seizing beneath him under the weight of his climax. They both grew still, panting and spent. Natsu leaned forward, kissing Gray's eyes, his nose, his chin. After a few moments he slowly withdrew, careful not to hurt the ice mage. He looked at Gray, using his left hand to brush the hair from his eyes with a smile. Natsu was done sharing his mate tonight, he thought.

"Give me a second."

Natsu stood up and walked over towards the window, lifting up his right hand to taste Gray's essence as he did so, licking it up with his tongue as he looked out the glass. He took the curtains in hand.

"Go away now, fujoshi." He pulled the fabric with a swift jerk before heading back over to Gray, who was trying and failing to stand. His legs were not cooperating, and the fire mage wondered if he would be able to walk tomorrow or not. A pang of guilt went through him, but dissipated just as quickly. _Sorry, not sorry._ Natsu picked him up and carried him to the shower, turning the water on and adjusting the temperature. He put Gray on his feet under the spray, stepping in himself and making quick work of rinsing them. The Dragonslayer would have been fine sleeping this way, he did not care, but he needed to look after his mate. Clean him, dry him, carry him to bed, wrap him up in his arms and watch over him as he slept. He turned off the water and engulfed them in flames, and Gray smiled as he always did. Warm and whole inside that fire. Home. Natsu carried him to the bedroom and set him down next to the bed, allowing him to crawl in on his own. Something on the bedside table caught the ice mage's eye, and Gray reached over and picked it up. It was a red and blue photo album that he had never seen before. His newly keen nose could smell Natsu on it. The Dragonslayer glanced over and saw what he held.

"You don't need to look at that right now." Gray ran his fingers over the cover.

"Now that you say that I do. Is this yours?" Natsu blushed, crawling over Gray into bed and climbing under the blankets, eyes glued to the wall.

"It's ours."

Gray opened the cover and his breath caught. The first page had pictures of he and Natsu as children, playing and fighting in the guild hall. The next one had the pair, a little older, side by side on the riverbank. He looked over at Natsu, who ducked his head further under the covers. As he turned the pages it was like watching the two of them grow up before his eyes. Each picture had both Gray and Natsu in it, and the further he went he realized that almost every picture they'd ever taken together was probably in this album. There were so many. About a halfway through and the two were grown, the photos more recent. The two of them at the Grand Magic Games was towards the end. The very last picture was one Natsu had taken of himself smiling in Gray's bed, arms stretched out to point the camera towards his own face, followed by a dozen or blank pages. Gray recognized that picture from the games, not just the image itself but the right corner that was worn and folded over. He glanced towards the drawer on the table, then back at Natsu.

"Natsu....." Natsu didn't turn over or look towards Gray.

"I didn't mean to invade your privacy or anything. I was here, and I was looking for something to clean up with and opened that drawer. I'm sorry."

Natsu had made good on more than one promise. He'd touched himself in Gray's bed. A smile crept onto the ice wizards face. Gray leaned over to the drawer and pulled it out, moving the box of tissues aside. The pictures were still there, save the one Natsu had put in the album, and they were still face down, but the backs of them were no longer white and unmarred. Instead they each had writing scrawling across them. Gray picked them up and thumbed through them without turning them over. Each one said something a little different, and yet they were all the same. _Natsu loves you. I love you. I love Gray. Natsu loves Gray._ Gray's chest felt tight, achy, and the words were suddenly blurry. Natsu turned over now, and his face was desolate.

"They smelled like your tears. I'm so sorry, Gray. I hurt you worse than anyone else has." Natsu's eyes shimmered. Gray put the pictures back in the drawer and closed it, running his hands across the picture of Natsu in his bed.

"Is this what you did while I was gone?"

"I want to fill the rest up with you, even though I don't deserve to." Gray felt a tear fall from his eye, and Natsu sat up, leaning over to kiss the trail it left on his cheek. "I love you, Gray. I want all my pictures from now on to have you in them." Gray leaned into Natsu, laying his head on the Dragonslayer's shoulder as he traced Natsu's image.

"Thank you, Natsu. For giving me this. Me too. I love you."

Gray looked at the picture for a long time before closing the book. He lay down in Natsu's arms, and fell into blissful sleep.


	24. Reinforcements

Juvia and Dorobo were outside of Magnolia, waiting for the fairies to gather at the guild hall. Juvia had killed one of their allies, in broad daylight no less. They would surely be coming together to discuss it, make plans, prepare a counterattack. All of which would be totally useless as wind and water tore their precious town down around them, stones burying them underneath, entombed there forever with the civilians they were sworn to protect. Fairy Tail would be a tragic footnote in history, and the thought made Dorobo shiver with pleasure. His little water mage was nearly catatonic, swelling with so much dark magic that he wondered if her body would be torn apart after they performed the Unison Raid and called a hurricane down on the city. If it was, so be it. Once the spell had been worked, only she or Dorobo could stop it, and then only forfeiting their lives to absorb the spell. He would not need her after that, and if her flesh could not withstand the strain and returned to water, that was fine with him. His magic was cast outside the guild hall and as soon as the fire mage and his mate entered, it would be time to act. The dark mage was excited, energy rolling through him, giddy with anticipation. He wanted to go now, call down the elements, destroy his enemies, but more than that he wanted to see the look on their faces as inevitable destruction barreled down on them from above. Dorobo was patient.

 

He would wait.

 

..............................................................................

 

Gray and Natsu lay in bed, awake but refusing to budge. Natsu's fingers slowly ran through Gray's hair, over and over, making his eyes close and his body hum with pleasure. Gray's muscles were sore and achy and it was wonderful. The fire mage's other hand traced over his neck, across his jaw, caressed his lips, his nose, his cheek. Gray smiled and bit Natsu's finger playfully as it went over his mouth.

 

"Bad dragon. No bite." Natsu tapped Gray's nose with two fingers like he was a disobedient pet before continuing his lazy exploration.

 

"But you like it."

 

"This is true." Gray stretched and groaned, careful to stay within Natsu's reach. He didn't want to lose those sweet touches just yet.

 

"Yesterday was the best day ever." Natsu laughed at that.

 

"I disagree. You got your guts sliced open yesterday."

 

"Small price to pay. Cut my guts open everyday. I went into Dragon Force. Dorobo got away but not before I smashed his goddamned face in, and that felt _good._ And then after being so sick on the train, I got to ride it with you without getting motion sick. I can't imagine you feeling that way over and over, I felt so bad for you. Then we got back here and..." Gray's face flushed bright in memory. He would have to face Cana at some point, and he didn't know how... but he knew he'd do it again in a heartbeat. His cock throbbed at the mere thought. "I can't believe you let her watch, Natsu."

 

"You liked it so much, it was worth it. I didn't know if I would be able to. I'm going to tell you something, but I don't want you to be mad at me. Mirajane was there too. She flew here after we left the guild." Gray sat up with a start, eyes wide.

 

"MIRA?!?" Natsu held his hands up in a placating gesture.

 

"She wasn't watching, she just sat on the roof. I didn't really know how I would react, I was worried I might go all feral and try to attack Cana or something. So Mira came to snatch her up and fly her away in case I went psycho. I just wanted to keep her safe, and she and Mira are really... _close._ She would've told her about it anyway, Gray." 

 

The ice mage processed this in his mind, mouth gaping. Sweet innocent little Mirajane perched on his roof in her Satan Soul takeover. Looking down at Cana as the card mage watched them have sex, probably touching herself as she did so... Just how _close_ were they? Now Gray thought of the pair, Mira at the bar making food and drink, Cana with her booze, spending so much time together.... _What if Mira had been watching too?_ Gray felt himself grow hot and tight, meeting Natsu's eyes with a blush.

 

"Damn, Gray." Natsu climbed over him, pushing him down on the bed and grabbing his erection roughly as he put his mouth at the ice mage's ear. "You are one hot, sexy little pervert. I thought for sure you'd be upset, and look at you." He ran his tongue along the edge of Gray's ear as he stroked him slow. "Hard and blushing, thinking about poor Mirajane watching me fuck you too. One person not enough?" His mouth found Gray's neck and sucked, making him arch up on the bed, hands in Natsu's hair. "You want two people watching you? Touching each other while I take you? I think you might be too much for me, Gray." His actions belied his words as he mouthed his way down Gray's body and sucked Gray's arousal into his mouth. Gray's hips thrust forward, possessing a will of their own.

 

"Mmmm..... Natsu, that's so fucking good..." Natsu pulled back to answer him.

 

"Tastes good, too." He swallowed his mate's shaft back down with a moan.

 

 _Bam! Bam! Bam!_ "GRAY! NATSU! OPEN UP!" Gajeel's voice sounded at the door. Gray groaned as Natsu released his cock with an irritated sound.

 

"Go away!" The fire mage really did not want an interruption, he wanted to finish his breakfast.

 

"I'M NOT FUCKING AROUND! This is serious, open the fuck up!" Gajeel sounded urgent, something that did not happen often. Gray and Natsu eyed each other with worry. Natsu got up and pulled on his pants before Gray could even get himself to the edge of the bed. His body hadn't recovered yet from Natsu's attentions the night before.

 

"I got it. Let me go see what's up." Natsu scratched at his head as he sleepily made his way towards the door, opening it up with a squint as bright sunlight shone in. "What is it? What do you want so goddamned early?" As Natsu looked at the sun, he realized there was no way it was early. It was most likely afternoon, actually. He did not care.

 

"Where's Gray?" Natsu's eyes narrowed at the iron mage. He looked so serious it made Natsu nervous.

 

"In bed. What happened?" The iron Dragonslayer's brow furrowed, and he took a deep breath before he spoke.

 

"It's Lyon. He's dead. He got hit by the Nottoru." Natsu's eyes widened in disbelief, cold filling up his chest, and then he remembered his mate and his new, keen ears. He was running back to the bedroom, slamming into furniture in his haste. He heard Gajeel right behind him, but he could not care less. When Natsu reached the room Gray was on his feet, still naked, breathing in gasps as magic swirled around him.

 

"Lyon's dead?" Natsu reached out to take Gray's hand. He wanted to pull him into his arms, but Gray held himself back, bent over awkwardly with his hands on his thighs. The ice mage's world was spinning around him, images of his brother flashing through his mind. Lyon couldn't be dead. It was not possible, but then Gajeel nodded gravely. Gray spoke again. "Dorobo killed him. With his spell." Gajeel shook his head at that.

 

"It wasn't Dorobo. It was Juvia. She's working with him, went to Lamia Scale and took Lyon's ice. She killed him."

 

Gray felt something break inside him, the fragile threads that tied him to his past, to his family, to his teacher. To Lyon, who was his brother in ways that even blood could not compare with. Icy air swirled around them as rage suffused his very being. Juvia had taken his brother, the last person who was truly his family? Stolen his ice? Juvia who said she loved him, killing his kindred? Gray felt fury as he never had before, swimming in his veins, expanding through his lungs, eating at his chest. _Lyon's gone..._ God, it _hurt,_ and the pain was nostalgic in the worst way, like walking into someone's house after years of being away, smelling a familiar scent that brought history flooding back to you. Gray knew this pain well, no matter how long it had been since he felt it. His parents. His village. Ur. Then when he thought he had lost Natsu. Now, Lyon... Loving Gray was a curse to those around him, sucking them down into death before their time. His thoughts grew dark and tinged with red.

 

"....ray. GRAY." He looked up and realized Natsu was calling his name, fire in his eyes, face full of concern. Natsu was angry, but more than that he was worried about his mate, who had lost someone so dear to him. "Let's go to the guild. We need to talk to Makarov." Tears fell from Gray's furious eyes in silence, tracking down his cheeks with finality. Natsu wiped them away, heart breaking for his mate while thoughts of vengeance twisted through his mind. Anyone who hurt his mate this way would suffer. He would break them under his fists and his fire until smears of blood and piles of ash were all that was left. Natsu did not care if it was a woman, even someone from Fairy Tail. It did not matter. The pain in Gray's face was Natsu's whole world, and he would bring fiery retribution raining down on them. Gray and Natsu both felt steely resolve click into place within them, meeting each others eyes in an understanding than transcended words.

 

They would kill their enemies together, with teeth and claws and righteousness, and nothing in this world would stand in their way without facing the wrath of two dragons.

 

............................................................................

 

 

When they reached the guild hall they stormed inside to find the entire guild there waiting. Gray and Natsu were the last to arrive, and the ice mage wondered if that was because no one wanted to tell him the news. He felt grateful to Gajeel all over again. Gray walked up to Makarov and the guild master pulled him down into a hug.

 

"I'm so sorry, Gray."

 

"Don't be sorry. Just help me find Juvia and Dorobo."

 

"I don't know what would make Juvia do this. I want to talk to her before anything is done. He has to be manipulating her somehow." Sherry Blendy appeared out of nowhere, face pushed in close to Gray's, tears streaming down her face with a voice full of rage .

 

"It's your fault that Lyon is dead! Juvia has loved you all these years and you pushed her away! And then you chose Natsu instead of her and she couldn't take it! You drove her to this with your selfishness! YOU took my Lyon from me!" Sherry had always loved Lyon, just as Juvia had wanted Gray. Pain filled Gray's eyes as she spoke, guilt painting his features. These thoughts had occurred to him too, but had been eclipsed by his anger at Dorobo and the water mage. Everyone Gray had ever loved was dead, each one because of Gray. He might as well have struck them down himself. _Except Natsu._

 

Natsu stepped in between the two, teeth bared at the pink haired mage. When she did not back down, his eyes lit up with fire and a growl emanated from his throat.

 

"Gray has been through just as much as you today. I know it hurts to lose Lyon this way, but unless you want your friends to mourn you alongside him, I suggest you shut the fuck up." His voice dripped with venom as Sherry's guild mate pulled her from Gray and Natsu, fearing for her safety under the stare of the fire mage. She allowed herself to be led away, erupting into sobs. Gray watched her go over Natsu's shoulder, eyes dark with grief.

 

"She's right you know. This is my fault. Lyon would be alive if I had killed Dorobo before he could escape." Natsu turned around to look at Gray,

 

"It's not your fault. There's nothing you could've done." The ice mage did not answer, instead turned back towards the guild master.

 

"Have they buried him yet?" Gray hoped they had not, and wondered if Lyon had ever told him of their burial traditions. Ice Make wizards did not go in the ground, covered in dirt to rot and turn to dust. The ice maker closest to the fallen mage would encase their body in ice, and on the frozen surface would sculpt their image. Only then would they go in the ground, preserved forever in their element, visage etched into the ice surrounding them for any who ever unearthed them to see. There were temples far in the north full of ancient fallen heroes, icy figures standing watch over rolling tundra and snow covered mountains, eyes forever closed against the cold. Funeral ice lasted forever, never melting, never changing. Unbreakable and final. A last gift to the dead.

 

"No. The magic council took his body." 

 

"What? Why?"

 

"They've taken every mage that Dorobo has killed, and are keeping them in Era in a medical facility." Natsu spoke up, incredulous.

 

"Why the hell would they do that? They won't let them bury their loved ones? We need to go get him back. He deserves to be laid to rest." Makarov shook his head.

 

"It seems the council knows something we don't. The victims are dead, but they aren't decomposing." Gray blinked.

 

"What does that mean?" A tiny voice spoke up, and Gray and Natsu both whirled around, shocked to see the Oracle standing nearby. Gray had the absurd urge to hug her. It was thanks to her that he and Natsu had been mated, and even though it had been a hell of a ride, he was grateful to her.

 

"The Nottoru takes magic, not lives. Not permanently, anyway. All one needs to do is kill the caster, and all the stolen magic will return to it's rightful owner. When their powers are restored, they will be restored, and I'm sure they'll be grateful not to be buried under six feet of earth when that happens." Hope shot through Gray, vicious and sharp. A more dangerous emotion did not exist.

 

"If we kill Dorobo, his victims will come back? All of them."

 

"Yes. But it isn't Dorobo that took Lyon from you."

 

Natsu and Gray looked at each other, comprehension dawning on them. Juvia had cast the spell on Lyon, not the dark mage. Natsu did not care. If he had to kill Juvia to give Gray back his brother, he would do just that.

 

And he would do it with a smile.

 

"Okay, little seeress. Where do we find them?" The Oracle looked at Natsu with childlike glee on her face.

 

"Oh, you don't find them. They find you." Thunder rolled as rain started to pour from the sky in a rush. A voice boomed from outside, high in the air, and Natsu and Gray locked eyes.

 

"Little dragons! Come face your judgement!"

 

Gray and Natsu walked up the entrance of the guild, joined by Levy and Gajeel. Sting and Rogue were not far behind them. The six looked at each other and despite the tragedy that had occurred, they felt smiles creeping onto their faces. Dorobo had come to fight dragons.

 

It was time to give him what he deserved.


	25. Unison Raid

The Dragonslayers and Levy all locked eyes, wanting to rush outside but hesitating. Gray spoke up first, looking at their allies gathered behind them.

"These idiots are going to try to follow us out there and get themselves killed." 

"Who are you calling an idiot? A man fights with his friends!" Natsu rolled his eyes at Elfman before touching Gray's shoulder, meeting each persons eyes as he spoke.

"We run out there, and Gajeel, Sting, and Rogue go after Dorobo to distract him while me and Gray seal this whole fucking guild hall in ice with everyone inside. Levy's on defense and support. We get tired, you throw fire, shadows, iron, whatever at us with your solid script, keep us in the fight. Someone misses an attack and is gonna eat a face full of magic, you try and block."

"You can't lock us in here when you're out there fighting!" The dragons ignored their guild mates, not even sparing a glance.

"Who said you're in charge?" Gajeel chafed at being ordered around, though even he knew the fire mage's plan was their best shot at keeping everyone safe and taking out the dark mage.

"You did, just now."

"Flame-brain."

"Gear-head."

"Enough!" Gray snapped them out of their back and forth. "Sting? Rogue? Sound like a plan?" The twin dragons nodded, and Levy absently noted that they held hands, probably without even realizing it. Wakaba ran up behind them.

"Let me throw out a smoke screen when you first head out so you don't get blindsided." Natsu nodded in agreement before turning to Gray and kissing him hard and fast. He released his mate with a smile.

"Okay people. Let's fucking do this."

Natsu kicked the doors open wide and Wakaba poured pink smoke out of it as they ran out of the guild hall, slamming them shut once they were all clear. Sting and Rogue were scanning the skies, trying to locate their enemy while Natsu and Gray pumped ice out of their hands. It crept over the windows, the doors, the walls, until it was encased in shining blue and white. No one was getting in or out of it until they were finished.

"Oh, you brought friends! How exciting!" The dark mage's words brought their gaze up to where Dorobo and Juvia hovered in the air, suspended on a column of water. Juvia's gaze was empty and chilling, void of emotion. Her eyes glowed with cloudy purple light. She did not react to Gray's presence, which was probably the most disturbing thing of all. "Juvia, be a dear would you?"

"Yes, master."

Water shot out of Juvia, six long jets flying out at her former allies. The twin dragons dodged out of the way, not really knowing the strength of the attack and not wanting to risk it. Natsu and Gray let them impact, freezing the water on contact while Gajeel threw up an iron shield, deflecting it harmlessly off of him and his mate. Gray gathered the ice around him and sharpened it into vicious blades before flinging it back at her. Juvia did not avoid the attacks, simply jerked as they sliced into her before absorbing the ice. Dorobo made a small sound of frustration at her.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped. I'll play with you for a bit as well."

The attacks began in earnest and they did not have time to think, or breathe, only react. Stones shot out of the ground to assail them as wind railed at them from every direction at once. Juvia was relentless, and each time they sidestepped an incoming hit from the dark mage she let them know she was there with a blast of water. Dorobo used fire a few times, targeting Gajeel or the twin dragons with it, only to discover that Natsu, at least, could consume it from quite some distance. Fighting without ice or fire went against his nature, and more than once he found himself hesitating as he'd readied an attack with one of the elements. It made him even more furious, and darkness swelled within him as he increased his assault. The pairs stuck close to their mates, ranging apart the the others across a large area in front of the guild. All were so used to fighting together that very little communication was necessary. Sting and Rogue moved together fluidly, like they were dancing and not fighting. One left an opening and the other stepped into it, throwing light and shadow magic in tandem. They both lit up, Sting with his White Drive and Rogue his Shadow Drive, trying to pour more strength into the attacks. More so than any of the others, they had always been a team. Since they joined their guild as children under a harsh and punishing master, only together could they find their place. One cannot find shadow and light separate from each other, and Sting and Rogue were the same. Rogue was having more luck with his shadow magic than some of the others, it's dark nature making it more difficult for the wizard to track, and as he landed a few attacks he noticed the dark wizard was getting close to the ground.

One of Dorobo's rock attacks took Gray by surprise, slamming through a shield the script mage had hurriedly erected before knocking him into Natsu and sending them both flying into the icy surface of the guild.

"Gray! Natsu!" 

Levy spared them a glance only to be snatched up by Gajeel. He had been a moment too late, though he took the brunt of the magic, and they both were impacted by a vicious ice attack, crushed underneath it's weight. They could not give Dorobo any opening. Natsu and Gray climbed up from the icy rubble their landing had created, staggering a moment before checking on each other. Blood trailed down Natsu's temple, and Gray's lip was split and leaking red. Fury lit their eyes, and lightning arced around Natsu, dangerous and sharp, as flames and ice swirled over his mate. Scales crept over their faces and their eyes glowed with violence. They ran over to free their guild mates, leaving Sting and Rogue to take on the pair alone while they freed them from the ice that held them down. They heard Dorobo's dark laughter echo around them before the twin dragons erupted in flames. Natsu ran over to them and breathed in the fire while Gray pulled ice from Levy and Gajeel. They staggered together, all six of them bleeding and heaving. The twin dragons Drive magic had deactivated, and they looked up at the dark wizard as they tried to catch their breath.

"Well this has been fun but it's time to end this. Juvia." Juvia moved in close, and clasped Dorobo's hand in a gesture that everyone recognized with a sinking feeling. Power swirled around them and lit them up.

"Unison Raid! Hurricane Summons!" Energy arced high into the air and then........ nothing. The Dragonslayer's looked at each other warily. "Oh, it takes my Hurricane Summons a little time to form and show up. It will race from the ocean, passing harmlessly over town after town until it gets to Magnolia and then... well, they'll be picking pieces of townsfolk from the rubble for generations." Juvia looked worse for wear now, having used so much magic that her body floated, slack and unresponsive. Natsu looked at Gray and the others. He stood up tall and took Gray's hands, staring into his eyes. They could see his spell even now, black clouds advancing on the horizon, ready to wipe them off the face of Earthland.

"Two can play at that game. C'mon guys, lets see how he likes it." 

It did not take long for the twin dragons or Gajeel and Levy to figure out what he meant. The pairs all closed the distance between them, back to back with their allies as they pressed in close to their mates, hand in hand. Power rolled through them like they'd never felt before, not only between Dragon and mate but between friend and ally. Magic breathed, heavy and volatile, begging to be released. They all waited for something, and they did not know what it was. Energy building, growing, changing. When it was ready to be unleashed, they all felt it.

"UNISON RAID!"

Instead of the magic of mates connecting together and firing outwards in three separate attacks, like they had all expected, six streams of energy connected in a single prism of power. Sting and Rogue Holy Shadow Dragon's Flash Fang twisted and roiled around the swirling fire and ice from Natsu and Gray. Purple-blue glyphs joined scaled iron in the whirlwind. Dorobo looked on motionless, disbelieving. Six wizards could not Unison Raid together. It was impossible, barely achievable by two, let alone half a dozen. So many mages could not be that in tune with each other. It was some kind of trick, he thought, illusion magic meant to instill fear in him. He was sure of it.

Until it hit him.

Dorobo screamed, until he no longer had a mouth to do so with. The dark mage burned, and froze as he was sliced open with metal and magic. Enveloped in darkness yet blinded by light. He felt himself falling, not to the ground but into pieces. This body held together by stolen magic and hatred could not withstand such power. Dorobo had been alive for decades and decades after his body had truly died. Even the magic of the Necromancer who'd revived him was not enough to combat this. Dorobo wondered if his master would know he was dead, that his puppet had failed him after so long. Now he no longer had eyes to see, or ears to hear, lungs dissolving within him. As his flesh turned to dust and his soul began to return to the darkness it was born from, it was almost a sense of relief. _Over. It's over. I'm sorry, Master. I failed you._ Then, he was gone.

As soon as Dorobo had exploded into nothingness, Juvia began sailing towards the earth, black smoke pouring out of her eyes and mouth as she fell. His spell broken in death, she screamed in agony as the cloud wrenched it's way out of her to dissipate into the sky. As they watched the dark magic drain out of her, they all held their breath. Before they even realized what they were doing Gray was running, Natsu right beside him. Their feet flew over the broken rocks, dodging around lingering fires and pools full of water. A dozen feet away Gray realized they were too slow. They would be too late. _No._ Fire shot from their hands, their feet, propelling them forward under their guild mate. A second before she hit, their arms were around her, crashing into the ground and breaking her fall. They sat in the mud, legs tangled together with Juvia stretched out between them, gasping in relief. Gray shook her gently.

"Juvia." Juvia did not move. Did not breathe. Natsu put a hand to her face. He had been so furious with the water mage, eager to gnash his teeth and rend her flesh between them, but he had seen the darkness leaving her, knew it was not her own. He ran his hand over her cheek.

"Juvia. Juvia!" Those blue eyes opened, deeper than the ocean, and Gray wished that she had someone who could look into them and get lost like he did in Natsu's. "Juvia, are you okay?" She looked up at the two staring down at her in concern, brows furrowed. Then everything flooded back to her in a rush, and her eyes filled with tears before she started sobbing.

"Shhh.... sshhhhh... it's okay....." Natsu stroked her hair, and Juvia could not believe it. The fire mage was comforting her? When she had just killed his mate's brother? She really was not worthy of Fairy Tail, or Gray... Not worthy to live any more in general. Undeserving of the blood in her veins, the breath in her lungs, the life in her eyes. All the things she had taken from Lyon. Fresh agony rolled over her in a wave and she cried in loud heaving gasps as the two mages held her tight.

"Lyon.... Oh god, Gray, I'm so sorry. I killed Lyon..." She could not form words anymore.

"It's okay. We'll find a way, the magic can be undone, the Oracle said so. We just have to find a way for you to release it. We always find a way, no matter what." At one time, Gray's words would have soothed her, being pressed against him an unspeakable joy. Right now, she was filled with sorrow. Then, Gajeel spoke up from next to them.

"We have a more immediate problem guys."

Their eyes went to the horizon to see vicious black clouds rolling towards the town. They were close, too close.

The Hurricane Summons was on it's way.


	26. Fairy Martyr

The group watched the black clouds roll towards them, growing larger and more threatening the closer they got. The Dragonslayers ears popped as the pressure in the air changed with the storms approach. They had defeated Dorobo, which was supposed to revive his victims by returning their magic. They had won, and now it was almost meaningless as certain destruction bore down on Magnolia. It was good they had saved the elemental mages that Dorobo had killed, but not good enough. Levy spoke up, voice full of worry.

 

"I don't understand. His darkness spell came undone when he died. Why didn't that one?"

 

"Juvia is still alive. Juvia helped cast the spell." The water mage's face looked at the clouds with hatred. She knew she could stop the spell, absorb it with her body. She would lose her life, but that was okay if it kept her guild safe. Her hand went down to her bare thigh. _Not her guild. Not anymore._ But that didn't matter. Juvia couldn't tell them these things, or they would try to stop her. The rain woman would bide her time and wait for it to draw closer, giving them no time to keep her from doing what she had to do. Even if there was no spell headed towards them, Juvia had killed Lyon, taken his magic. Until she had struck him down, she hadn't understood the depth of her feelings for him. Dorobo had not taught her how she could release it, other than in death. This was her destiny, her fate. She was just lucky that she could save everyone, including the ice mage, by making that sacrifice. Juvia sat up and pulled herself from Gray's arms, coming unsteadily to her feet. The water mage did not want to be wrapped up in the warm embrace of her former guild mates. She was not worthy of their comfort. Gray and Natsu were up in a flash, running to the guild hall to release their ice.

 

"Maybe Freed can put runes around the town like he did before, protect it from the spell." Levy watched as the fire and ice mages put their hands on the walls of Fairy Tail and the magic began to fall away. Wind began to howl around them, making their clothes shudder in it's wake.

 

"That would take awhile. We don't have that much time."

 

Rogue and Sting had collapsed, the Unison Raid having drained their magic down to nothing. Rogue's nose bled, and Sting had torn a scrap of cloth from the shadow mage's cloak and was pressing it to his face, tilting his head back. Levy was also wobbling when Gajeel snatched her up into his arms, and pretended he was not swaying with the effort to remain vertical. Natsu had just eaten a fireball before they did the raid, and was in better shape than the others. When the guild was totally free of ice, Gray staggered and went to his knees, leaning back on his heels. Natsu sat down behind him, letting Gray put his weight on him to keep him upright. The ice mage was grateful, taking strength from Natsu's presence. They kept each other together, held each other up. Made each other whole. Gray reached back and took Natsu's hand, and the fire mage brought it up to his mouth to kiss Gray's knuckles. The doors exploded open and all of Fairy Tail poured out, taking in the destruction outside. Erza ran up to Natsu, who was surrounded by weary Dragonslayer's.

 

"Where's Dorobo?" She had requipped into armor and had her sword in hand, scanning the sky with purpose. Freed also had his sword out when he stormed outside, taking off into the air with his dark wings. Evergreen and Bickslow were right behind him, ready to face down the dark wizard in the skies. Wendy had run straight over to the twin dragons and began using her sky magic on Rogue. Romeo and Macao were there, fists full of flames, next to Mira in her Satan Soul takeover. Gray felt his chest grow tight at the sight of his guild mates rushing headlong into danger to protect their friends and their home. This is what Fairy Tail was, what they did. They looked out for each other, no matter the cost. They were nakama.

 

"He's dead." Erza absorbed this and nodded, face intense. It was no small thing for a Fairy Tail wizard, or anyone else for that matter, to take a life, no matter how necessary. "He put a dark magic spell on Juvia. It deactivated when he died." The armor mage glanced over at Juvia, who stood staring at the horizon.

 

"Oh my God, what's that?" Lucy's voice cut through the chaos as all eyes went to looming storm. The wind became more intense, and Gajeel had to sit down or risk being blown over. Rocks and debris from the battle began to roll across the ground in the maelstrom. Gray leaned harder into Natsu as he spoke.

 

"Dorobo did a Unison Raid before he died, and called it a Hurricane Summons. It's headed this way." 

 

 _Dorobo did a Unison Raid._ Juvia realized they did not even call attention to the fact that you couldn't Unison Raid by yourself, that she had obviously helped. Even though most of the guild did not know about the dark magic that had been worked on her, they made no move to restrain her or attack. In their minds, she was a part of their guild even now. Fresh tears streamed down her face. Erza was frantically trying to think of a solution, as was everyone else.

 

"Freed, can you put up wards?" He did not answer and they glanced around, only to find him high in the air, eye glowing dark and sword flying slicing through the wind to carve purple runes out of the ether.

 

"I'm trying but I don't think they'll stop that thing. Even if I had more time...." 

 

Freed said it was hopeless, and yet still the glyphs flew from his blade, spreading out in front of them like a wall. He had to _try._ They all did. Wendy might be able to get close and consume some of it, but there's no way she could take it all, and no one wanted to risk putting her in such danger. Storm winds screamed around them and soon it was hard for even the uninjured mages to stand. They crouched together, and watched while a dark black horizon descended. It was close now, and Juvia realized it was almost time. Her voice sounded out above the din.

 

"Gray, will you do me a favor?" Gray. Not Gray-sama. Just Gray. She smiled as she said it. It sounded right.

 

"Huh?" He looked over, battle worn and weary.

 

"Tell Lyon that I'm sorry. That I loved him too, and when I realized it, it was too late."

 

"What are you talking about, Juvia? Tell him yourself." 

 

She looked at her friends one last time, a smile on her face. They had pulled her out of darkness, not once but twice, and cleared her skies of rain. Because of Fairy Tail, she had seen the sun, and it was beautiful. Juvia was happy to give everything she had to those who had first given it to her.

 

"Thank you, everybody. You saved me."

 

Before anyone knew what she was doing, she shot into the air on a pillar of ice. As the cold magic erupted from her hands, she felt warm inside. _Ah, Lyon, I'm giving this back to you but I'm glad I get to feel it this one last time. It feels like home._ The blue white shards lifted her high into the sky towards the hurricane. She heard the guild below her calling out for her to stop, and felt Evergreen and Mira in pursuit behind her, but that was okay. They would never get close enough. They would be safe. The wind did not buffet her, this was her spell after all. It welcomed her closer, a mother and her child. When she was too high and the ice started to sputter and crack, she switched to her native element. Water would not fail her now. It was all she knew. All she had. All she was. Juvia was almost there now, and instead of fear she felt pure elation. Everyone would be okay, the guild would not be torn down yet again, this time because of her failure. This time it would stand because of her. A smile crept over her face and the tears were gone from her eyes. 

 

Juvia could see the Hurricane Summons, and she reached out her arms to embrace it.

 

_I'm sorry, Lyon. I love you._

 

Juvia slammed into the spell, and then there was darkness.

 

......................................................................................

 

The water mage was in the air, not falling but floating. Golden light shone around her, and she felt warm. Was this death? 

"You did it, Juvia. I'm proud of you." She heard the voice not with her ears but in her mind.

"First Master?" Mavis's voice.

"You saved my children, as well as Lyon, and so saved yourself." Juvia basked in the heat and light around her. 

"I don't understand."

"When a mage gives up their life to save the guild and it's members, it activates one of our grand spells. It only works once for a wizard so don't get reckless."

"Grand spells?"

"Fairy Martyr. You'll see your friends again soon. Until your body is ready to return, I will keep you here with me."

"I get to go back? Lyon's safe?"

"Yes, daughter." Tears gathered in Juvia's eyes.

"You said I wasn't your child."

"That's what you needed to hear. But I'm not returning your mark. I think it's time you wear a new one. Now sleep, and wait."

Juvia did not want to sleep, but her eyes closed on their own.

And when they opened, she would see Lyon again. Juvia smiled.

 

....................................................................

 

The days after Juvia's death were a blur for the mages of Magnolia. The wizards that had been revived with Dorobo's death had visited the guild to offer their thanks, along with their families and friends. All the mage guilds across Fiore celebrated his defeat. All except Fairy Tail, who mourned the loss of one of their own. Now instead of tributes to Natsu, water lacrimas and photo's of Juvia surrounded the fountain in front of the guild hall. Natsu had shocked everyone by scuplting a statue of her out of ice in it's center, eyes and hands raised to the sky. The next day the magic council showed up, who wanted to do a viewing of the battle, which Makarov refused. They didn't need to know how much power these Dragonslayers wielded. They informed Gray that Lyon had awakened and went first to Lamia Scale to assure his guild mates that he was unharmed, and after that he was heading to Magnolia. Just knowing he was okay was enough for Gray. Most of the members were staying at Fairy Tail almost constantly, united in their sorrow. No one took jobs, no one went out.  
The ice mage sat in a booth in the guild hall with Natsu leaned against him, sleeping soundly. Gray ran his fingers through the fire mage's hair slowly, eyes closed, loving the familiar feel of it under his hands. Sleep was threatening him as well with his mate's heat lulling him towards peaceful oblivion. Gray sighed, wrapping his free hand tighter around his Dragonslayer. A soft voice pulled him from his reverie, and he would know that voice anywhere.

"Gray." His eyes opened up to see his brother standing there, and his heart leaped. Gray moved to get up when Lyon stilled him with a gesture. "Don't. Don't wake him up." Lyon smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. "I'd hate to disturb him. I still can't believe it. You and Natsu." Lyon sat down opposite the pair.

"Believe it." Lyon let out a shuddering breath.

"I can't believe she's dead, either. She can't really be dead, can she?" It was then Gray noticed Lyon's eyes were shining with unshed tears. "It didn't hit me until I got here, and I saw that ice sculpture you did out front-"

"That was Natsu, actually." Lyon's eyes widened, and he shook his head.

"Natsu. Shit." Silence stretched between them full of words they did not need to speak to comprehend. The silence between brothers that was understood only by them. Lyon put his face in his hands.

"I'm so sorry, Lyon. We tried to stop her."

"I know. You guys lost her too. It just hurts." 

It did hurt, and there was nothing like it. The familiarity of it seeped into their bones. Gray looked at his brother, bound to him not by blood but by ice and tragedy. They said nothing else, only sat across from each other, filled with thoughts of water and want.

 

..............................................................

_"It's time to go back, Juvia. He's waiting for you."_

Juvia did not remember waking up, or arriving at the guild, but she found herself in front of it looking at an ice sculpture made in her image. Somehow she knew down inside that it was not Gray who had shaped it but Natsu. There were photos of her and blue candles burning around the fountain. Her heart clenched. She did not deserve all this. Juvia was eager to go in but she stopped outside the guild hall, heart thundering in her chest. He was here, she could feel it. Juvia knew better than to expect him to be happy to see his murderer, but she needed to tell him she was sorry. This was not her guild, and Lyon did not belong to her, but she wanted to say goodbye all the same. Juvia put her hand on the door and took a deep breath.

With her eyes stinging and her lungs tight, she stepped through it.


	27. Whole

Lyon's head rested in his arms, folded on the table under him where he sat across from Gray and Natsu, both of whom were now sleeping soundly. As he stared at the pair, dark feelings crept up from inside him. Lyon had wanted Juvia from the moment he saw her, only to be forced to watch as she fawned over Gray who ignored her completely. To endure someone you love lusting after your brother, who was always stronger, always faster, always one step ahead was hard enough. Then Gray not only found his mate, but became immensely more powerful in the process. Adding in Juvia's death was insult to chronic injury, a wound torn open again and again by someone who held no malice toward him. Someone who loved him deeply. Seeing Gray wrapped up in Natsu's arms made even Lyon cold inside. He needed to get out of here. Next time he spoke to Gray he would surely say something he could not take back. _Natsu would probably kick my ass if I did, too._ Lyon was about to stand when he heard a voice from his sweetest dreams.

"Lyon-san." Lyon's eyes went wide as he looked up to see Juvia, bowing deeply before him with her eyes on the ground. Lyon felt his breath catch. _Oh, shit._ He'd lost it. Lyon had finally gone crazy. Tears filled his eyes as he reached out, afraid to touch her. Afraid she would turn to mist and nothingness in his hand.

"Juvia? Are you real?" Juvia raised up to look at him, her face a mirror of his grief.

"Lyon-san. Juvia is sorry. Juvia did something to you that she can never take back. Juvia knows you can't forgive her, and that's okay. She just wanted to tell you-" Her words were crushed from her lungs as Lyon's arms went around her, squeezing her tightly.

"How? How are you here?" She could hear the emotion in his voice, and it made her ache inside.

"Mavis. The first master, she saved Juvia." Lyon began to shake with sobs, and the sound was loud enough that the others in the guild finally noticed her standing there.

"JUVIA! OH MY GOD!" Suddenly everyone in Fairy Tail was shouting and moving, surrounding the water mage . Natsu and Gray both woke up at the uproar. They blinked sleepily at Lyon and Juvia, the fog of drowsiness slowly clearing from their eyes.

"Juvia, holy shit!" Natsu and Gray were on their feet, pulling Juvia and Lyon both into a hug. Juvia was crushed between the three mages, Lyon weeping, openly and unashamed.

"Oh, Juvia, thank God. I thought I had lost you forever." Gray spoke up next, a smile in his voice.

"You just had to show off, flying into a damn hurricane to save the day, stealing the spotlight from the Dragonslayers." Juvia felt tears fill her eyes, her chest tight. She had truly earned their hatred, these three above all the others, and yet they were the first to embrace her, surrounding her in their arms. Her shoulders began to heave. No one moved to release her as she cried.

"That Water Cane you hit me with fucking hurt. You owe me a free shot."

"Natsu!" Lyon chastised the fire mage.

"Juvia.... Juvia.... Juvia doesn't deserve your forgiveness..." Natsu and Gray finally released her to Lyon when he began to tug insistently away.

"Forgive you for what? Dorobo put a spell on you, and you had a reason for being upset with me anyway. Lyon is fine, and no one got hurt. So you don't need to apologize, except for being an idiot and flying into a giant murder spell."

"Hey, you've done that before too, who are you to talk?" Gray had a point, Natsu realized. Lyon pulled Juvia back to look at her.

"I love you, Juvia." Juvia let out a harsh breath. 

"Juvia loves Lyon too." He hugged her in close, wanting to kiss her, to take her right then, but there were so many people who were happy to see her whole and alive that he held back. Lucy spoke up from nearby.

"Juvia, what happened to your leg? Where's your guild mark?"

"The first master took it from me. She said Juvia needed a new one." Lyon pulled down his shirt, exposing Lamia Scale's guild mark on his chest.

"I think you'd look good with a mermaid." Juvia smiled, and Lyon was lost.

"Juvia thinks so, too."

 

..........................................................................................................................................

 

The celebration was in full swing, not only with almost every member of their guild but many of their allied guilds as well. Juvia was alive, and everyone was overjoyed, eating and drinking and partying like only Fairy Tail could. Natsu sat drinking at the bar with Gajeel watching Levy and Gray play pool. He had had a couple of drinks and was warm and loose. Natsu's eyes followed his mate hungrily. The ice mage had lost his shirt long before, and as he pulled back to pool cue, his muscles tensed in the most appetizing way. Since Juvia had been presumed dead, Gray and he hadn't had sex. The fire mage had felt guilty any time he started to get horny, not only because they thought they had lost a guild mate but because Lyon was taking it so hard. Gray's brother was suffering, and the ice mage was suffering right along with him. Now, that guilt was long gone. Gazing at Gray's strong arms, lining up his shots, hands sliding down that wooden cue... Natsu found himself getting hard staring at him, rearranging himself discreetly. Or he thought it was discreetly, until Gajeel laughed.

"Yeah, fire breath. Me too." Natsu glanced over to see Gajeel eating Levy up with his eyes. "I think their game is over." Gajeel downed the rest of his drink in one huge gulp and slammed it on the table. Natsu grinned, feeling a devious gleam come to his eyes. The alcohol in his system made it seem like an even better idea than usual.

"I think you're right, gear box." They stood up in unison, walking over to the pool table towards their mates like beasts after prey. Gajeel snatched Levy up and threw her over his shoulder. She squealed and dropped her cue.

"GAJEEL! What are you doing, put me down!" He ignored her, heading toward the front of the guild.

"Nope, shorty. We're going." They were out the door. Gray looked up to see Natsu in front of him, heavy lidded eyes filled with lust. Natsu took Gray's hand, tugging on it.

"Us too. Let's go home." Gray looked around, wondering where Lyon was so he could tell him they were taking off. Gray already felt himself growing hot under Natsu's stare.

"We are? Let me-" Natsu slammed Gray into side of the pool table, holding his wrists down at his sides as he ground his hips into Grays. The Dragonslayer pressed his face in to his mates, so close the ice mage could feel his breath on his lips as he spoke.

"We don't have to go anywhere." Natsu pushed his hips harder into Gray's, his arousal hot and thick between them. The ice mage groaned without meaning to. "We can do it here. I know you like to be watched." Gray waited on Natsu to kiss him, but he didn't. Instead he latched onto his mates neck, sucking and licking and biting. Gray closed his eyes, panting. He could feel the eyes of the guild on them, and his already erect shaft shot harder at the thought.

"N-natsu, stop. Let's go. We should go." 

Natsu released his neck, holding onto his hips and staring into Gray's eyes for a long moment before locking their fingers together and dragging him outside. As soon as they were out the door, Natsu swung Gray around by his arm and shoved him into the wall before taking his mouth with startling savagery. The fire mage interlocked his free hand with Grays and lifted them up to pin Gray's hands above his head. Natsu stepped in close, shoving his body against the ice mage's and caging him in tight. His kiss was merciless, and after awhile Gray was gasping around it, struggling to get air but not wanting to break it. Natsu was the one to pull back, saliva stretching between their needy mouths, breath coming in gasps. The Dragonslayer pulled Gray off the wall and shoved him towards the road. Gray staggered in surprise. _What the fuck?_ He turned to Natsu to yell at him only to see the fire mage biting his lip, hand reaching down his pants and stroking himself. Gray felt his mouth start to water.

"Run." Natsu's hand moved faster. Gray blinked, confused but full of want. 

"Wh-what? Why?" Natsu closed his eyes in pleasure, looking up for a moment before meeting Gray's gaze again.

"I'll give you a head start. Run. If I catch you before you get home, I'm going to fuck you right there in the street." Natsu's eyes glinted, and Gray saw not a man but a dragon. His heart sped up, fearful and anticipating. Gray tried to slow the blood racing in his veins. "Go, little snowflake." He smiled, and it was all teeth and no mercy. "Run."

Gray took a deep breath, a rabbit under a hawk's watchful gaze. Gray turned towards the street. And he _ran._ Gray reached the end of the block before his sensitive ears heard Natsu take off, and even from so far away he could tell he was moving fast. Gray's knees flew up and down, feet eating up the pavement in long strides. When Natsu turned the corner behind him, Gray could feel his stare boring into his back. A monster after it's meal. Right now, Gray was _prey,_ and his cock ached at the thought. He wanted to be eaten. Gray glanced behind him and for the barest instant he locked eyes with Natsu. _Oh, fuck._ Those dark eyes promised a thousand things to Gray, and he wanted each and every one of them. The ice mage dragged his gaze away and pressed forward. Natsu was gaining on him, he could _feel_ it. He pushed himself faster. His house was not far, he could make it. Suddenly he could smell Natsu behind him, his heat and his desire, sharp in his nose. If he could smell him, that meant he was closer. Adrenaline raced through him, he could taste in in the back of his throat. Natsu was a hunter, and when he caught Gray he would strip his flesh and burn him in those flames and devour him. _Fuck. Almost there._ When Gray caught sight of his house, he could almost feel his mate bearing down on him, hungry and feral. The door. Was it locked? If he couldn't unlock it in time would Natsu fuck him on his own doorstep? Why did that make his arousal throb? He felt it leaking hot fluid in his clothes as he grabbed his door knob, and when it turned under his hand Natsu slammed into him from behind, tackling him through the doorway and onto the floor. He shot ice at the door to close it as Natsu flipped him around on his back.

"What a shame. I was so close."

Natsu jerked off Gray's pants and boots, tossing them aside before he pinned Gray's hands above his head and ravaged his mouth. Gray moaned into him, thrusting his hips up against Natsu as he thrust his tongue deep between his lips. God, he'd needed this. Natsu was everywhere. Pressing his down from above, legs holding him in on each side, tongue swallowing him whole. His body was hot and hard as Natsu thrust into him again. A threat and a promise. The fire mage shifted his hold on Gray's hands to his wrist, holding them down with one hand. His free hand then took Gray's shaft and started to stroke. Gray choked on a moan, face turning to the side. Natsu kissed his cheek, his jaw, his neck. He laved the skin of his throat with his tongue, mouthing and licking and kissing. Gray waited for teeth, for that sweet bite, but it did not come and he was almost disappointed.

"N-n-natsu.... Mmmmmmffff-fuck." He thrust up into Natsu's hand, seeking friction. It had been too long, and Gray was on the edge. "Gonna come, Natsu..." Suddenly Natsu let go of Gray, gripping the tip of his shaft hard. His impending climax faded away and he whined desperately.

"Natsu! Don't stop!" Natsu was not listening. He stood up over Gray and grabbed the ice mage, picking him up and tossing him over his shoulder.

"Natsu, what the fuck?" Natsu grabbed Gray's ass as he made his way towards the bedroom, kneading it, fingers grazing at his entrance. He panted at the contact.

"Need a bed. Gonna fuck your goddamned brains out." He tossed Gray on the bed and took something off the side table. When Gray eyed him curiously, he held up a bottle. "This is what Lucy gave us, I found it the other day and the card said, 'Because Natsu is an idiot,' so I opened it. Guess she was right." 

As Natsu opened the lid and poured fluid over his fingers, Gray knew what it was. The Dragonslayer pushed Gray down on the blankets and spread his legs wide, running his slick fingers over Gray's tight hole before sliding two in together.

"Gaahh..." Gray arched up off the bed, thrusting down onto Natsu's fingers buried inside him. He hit that sweet spot inside his mate, and Gray shook with pleasure. As the fire mage mercilessly thrust his fingers in and out, Gray felt himself getting close again. "Natsu... I'm..." He did not finish his sentence, but Natsu knew what he was going to say. He pulled his fingers out and squeezed his cock again, leaning up to swallow his protest with a kiss. Gray kissed him back, hips moving and grinding. Natsu released his mouth to circle the ice mage's nipple with his tongue.

"Natsu, don't fuck with me. Come on."

Natsu ignored him, mouthing his nipples in turn. He gripped Gray's shaft and stroked it slowly, lazily, as the ice mage moaned and jerked beneath him. It felt too good in Natsu's hand. The fire mage kissed his way down Gray's stomach, lingering on his hip bones for a while before pausing over his cock. He held it up with one hand, hovering over it. Gray looked at Natsu, fisting his hands in pink locks and trying to press him down onto his needy shaft. The Dragonslayer kept his eyes on his mate as he licked his arousal from base to tip, swirling his tongue around the head before swallowing it deep into his throat.

"Nnnnnn.... Feels so good..."

Natsu bobbed up and down on Gray painfully slowly, pulling back to place wet kisses up and down it or to pull one of his balls deep into his mouth before releasing it. Three hot fingers pressed into Gray again, moving in time with Natsu's mouth. Gray's hands pulled on Natsu's hair, and before long his hips began to move, fucking Natsu's mouth hard and desperate. Natsu let him do it, loving how much his ice mage needed him, delighting in that thick arousal slamming into his throat. He found Gray's spot inside and curled his fingers into it.

"Natsu... shhhh..... shit, Natsu...."

Natsu pulled his fingers out, releasing Gray's shaft from his mouth with a pop and crushing the head of it in an almost painful grip. Gray whimpered, legs wrapping around Natsu's back to pull him down, hands jerking on his hair, urging his mouth back around his shaft. His hips thrust up towards the fire mage's mouth, and when he spoke his voice was throaty and full of want.

"Please, Natsu. Let me come. Please...." 

He reached down to stroke it himself, desperate for climax. Natsu caught his hand, licking the palm and watching his mate writhe with need, flushed and sweating and begging, a total mess. He pushed the ice mage back down on the mattress and folded his knees up by his chest as he jerked his pants down from his hips to expose his arousal. When he pressed his tip to Gray's opening, he poured more of the slick fluid on it before easing himself inside. Gray whimpered and wailed, high pitched sounds of pure need coming from his throat. Gray's tight hole swallowed him, sucking him in, wanting to be filled just as much as Natsu wanted to fill it. When he was buried to the hilt in his mate, he shuddered, taking a few deep breaths before pulling out slowly until only the tip remained inside. Gray slammed his hips downward, trying to impale himself on Natsu's length, but the Dragonslayer slid back, keeping him from it.

"Natsu... God, fuck me hard, I need it please, fuck me..." Gray shivered with desire. Natsu had been waiting, wanting to hear Gray beg and plead, and it had been hard, but worth it. Those sweet words were music to his ears.

"Shit, Gray, I love you."

"Lll... Love you too, N-natsu. Fuck me. P-please."

"Anything for you, love."

He pounded into his mate, thrusting viciously into that tight slick heat. It was only a few strokes before Gray came in violent shudders, incoherent babbling coming from his mouth and fluid streaming out of his cock in hot jets, landing on his chest, some on his face. Natsu leaned down to lick it up, cleaning Gray's face and throat before kissing him hard. Gray tasted his own essence in on Natsu's tongue as it delved into his mouth, demanding entrance. Natsu's hips slammed into Gray, sliding him across the blankets with each thrust. He felt Gray's cock between them and when he realized it was still hard he took it in his hand and jerked, pulling and twisting. Time stood still. There was no one else on this earth but them. Nothing existed but this moment, the beautiful sounds Gray made as he took him, the way the light shone on his skin, his hair tousled beneath him. The flush that crept up his cheeks, his arousal throbbing in Natsu's hand. The taste of that precious mouth. The smell of his mate's desire, his own, thick and tangible between them. Natsu wanted this to last forever, to be caught between desperation and climax the rest of his days. He saw Gray's head thrashing, felt that ring of flesh twitching, and he knew he was close again. Natsu leaned down and bit into his neck, teeth breaking the skin. Gray moaned his name as he came again, cum drenching Natsu's stomach as he savaged his mate.

"Natsu!"

That voice calling his name was all it took, and Natsu was emptying himself inside Gray in hot jets of seed, shuddering and quaking as he filled him up. When the aftershocks of his climax finally faded, he withdrew from the ice mage and lay down next to him, pressing soft kisses to his face.

"Damn Natsu, you're fucking mean."

"I know, but it was so damn good."

"Carry me to the shower and wash me." Natsu smiled and moved to obey.

"Anything for you."

Natsu washed his mate, and dried them in his fire, and filled his stomach with food. He brought him cold water, and carried him to bed. He kissed him breathless, and they wrapped themselves up in each others arms. He told him how much he loved him.

Filled up with each other's scent, they both fell asleep.


	28. Please?

Natsu was half in sleep, half awake, surrounded by the sweet scent of pine and snow and mate when he felt Gray moving around in the bed beside him. He reached over to grab him, pull the ice mage tight against him, prevent his escape to wherever it was he was going when his wrists were suddenly jerked upwards. Natsu began to struggle, fully awake now, and opened his eyes to see Gray kneeling over him, tying his wrists to the headboard with his scarf. The fire mage blinked, confused for a moment until he saw the gleam in Gray's eyes as he sat back to straddle his hips. Natsu pulled lightly on the scarf, saw that it was knotted tight. The Dragonslayer had no idea what kind of magic Igneel had imbued that thing with, but it didn't burn, didn't tear, didn't fray, didn't stain. He had fought in it for years, flames burning bright, against ice and water and wind and earth, hit with magic that should've killed him, and it was untouched. The only time it had even been worse for wear was after his encounter with Zeref, and Wendy had fixed it easily. Natsu realized that he could not possibly have been tied up with anything more likely to hold him that that piece of fabric. The fire mage would have to break the headboard if he wanted free, but taking in that devious expression on Gray's face, he'd rather be there than anywhere else. He looked back at his mate with a grin to greet him.

"Good morning." Gray smiled, looking hungrily at Natsu splayed out before him.

"It will be."

Gray ran his hands across Natsu's chest, pressing down hard into the muscled flesh there. He traced over the fire mage's abs, squeezing his hips bones, before rubbing lower, over his thighs. Natsu was hard already, from the moment he had realized what Gray was doing, but his mate ignored his raging erection. Heat swam through the Dragonslayer, lighting him up from inside. Gray seemed determined to touch every inch of Natsu's skin besides his cock, fingers exploring, eyes greedy.

"I always want to touch you, taste you, feel you, but then you get me so worked up I get distracted." The ice mage's arms moved slowly, bathing Natsu in that hot touch. "I decided I needed to tie you up so you can't turn me into a needy little bitch this time." He paused for a moment, head cocked to the side, canine and contemplative. "Not that I don't enjoy it." Natsu could not clear the ridiculous smile from his face. A thought occurred to him suddenly.

"Are you trying to fuck me, Gray?" His mate leaned down and took one of Natsu's nipples in mouth, tongue swirling around it before he bit down hard. "Nnnnnnn....." That bite was divine. These brief touches, soft caresses, gentle hands weren't enough. He wanted _more._

"I don't have to _try._ " Natsu watched Gray closely as he ran his lips up his chest to suck at the fire mage's neck, teeth sinking in again.

"Ahhhh, shit, Gray..... that's... mmmmmm.... not what I meant." The Dragonslayer felt Gray's hand close around his cock and start to stroke. Natsu thrust into hand seeking friction, eyes closed in bliss. He needed it faster, harder. 

"You mean am I trying to top you?" The ice mage pulled back as he spoke, returning to lick and mouth at Natsu's flesh in between words. Gray palmed the fire mage's balls, squeezing them gently. The fire mage's eyes rolled back in his head. His thoughts would not turn into words in his mouth. They spun through his brain, failing to find their way out.

"Nnnnnggg..... y-yeah. That's what I meant." Gray had Natsu _writhing,_ and it felt good to have the Dragonslayer under his power, a slave to his touch. The ice mage crawled down Natsu's body, blowing hot air across his throbbing arousal.

"I don't know. What if I was?" When had his little blushing mage gotten so confident? The fire wizard then noticed Gray did not meet his eyes. His cheeks were pink and flushed, hands trembling. _He's trying so hard._ Gray tying him up, taking control, teasing him... God, it was fucking adorable, and Natsu loved Gray even more as he watched him. Gray ran his tongue up Natsu's shaft, flicking the tip of over his leaking slit. The Dragonslayer moaned, hips lifting off the mattress to seek that wet mouth. It may have been adorable, but he was doing a good job of making Natsu crazed with need. He didn't realize he was pulling so hard on his bonds until he heard the wood on the bed frame groan in protest. He relaxed his grip, using his feet to leverage himself towards Gray.

"I wouldn't mind. Fuck, right now anything sounds good." Natsu realized this was revenge for teasing him the previous night, and it was true what they said about it being sweet. If Gray wanted to take Natsu like this, he wouldn't stop him. Gray reached up and twisted the fire mage's nipple before closing on his neck with another bite. Natsu could feel his heartbeat in his shaft. It ached with need. Maybe Gray wanted to hear him beg, as he had done. When it came to his ice mage and his perfect mouth, Natsu was shameless. "Please, Gray. Suck me. Fuck me, anything."

Gray sat up, taking his hands and mouth off the fire mage altogether. Natsu whined unhappily, face twisted with lust. He was panting now, covered in sweat. Gray had barely touched him and he was wretched. _Shit, is he better at this than me?_ Gray hiked up one of his knees, straddling Natsu's thighs, and took his own arousal in his fist. The ice mage squeezed it, thumbing a shining drop of seed off the tip before he began to stroke himself. His eyes wrenched shut in pleasure as his wrist moved up and down.

"Haaaahhhh...." Natsu's eyes on him felt so good, made him throb as he jerked and twisted.

"Graaaaay...." The Dragonslayer wanted that cock in his hands, in his mouth. It was cruel to deny the fire mage that which was his to take. "No fair, that's mine." Gray barked out a strained laugh as he increased his pace, mouth gasping.

"Prett- mmmmmm.... pretty sure it's mine.... nnnnnnnn..." Natsu shook his head in answer even though Gray's eyes were closed.

"It's not." Gray put two fingers to his own mouth, sticking out his tongue and coating them in saliva.

"What about this? Is it yours too?" The ice mage reached down and slid them inside his entrance, twitching as he thrust in deep, hips rocking forward to meet them. Natsu began to pull on his scarf again, cloth cutting into his wrists harshly. His fists opened and closed, wanting flesh held tight within them, hips straining upwards.

"YES! It's MINE!" The words came out in a growl, and Gray pulled out only to press a third finger into himself as he stroked.

"Well- nnnngggg.... I guess I can let you h-have it... mmmm... if you say please." Gray's muscles tensed, body curling in on itself, and he eased his pace a little. He couldn't come just yet.

"Please! I'm sorry I teased you!" Gray pulled out his fingers, releasing himself as he lifted himself up over Natsu's cock. The ice mage took it in hand, lining it up with his slick hole.

"I'm not." Gray impaled himself on Natsu's arousal, hissing in pleasure as he felt it stretch him wide. "Ffffffuck, Natsu." 

He raised his hips up until only Natsu's head was still inside him before slamming back down. Gray's back arched, mouth falling open on a moan as he started to bounce up and down, riding Natsu's cock. The Dragonslayer could not take it anymore. He got his feet underneath him and began thrusting violently, pounding into Gray without mercy. Gray leaned forward and took Natsu's mouth, reaching up to untie his wrists as he did so, wanting to feel his touch. The moment his mate was free, playtime was over. Natsu's hands flew down, gripping Gray's hips and holding him in place as he savaged him. He released the ice mage's lips to bite into his throat, delighting in the erotic whimper that rewarded him as he tasted blood. _MINE._ Gray was _Natsu's._ He staked his claim all over again, teeth buried in Gray's flesh, cock buried in his ass, and it was perfect.

"N-nat... haahhh.... N-natsu!" 

The fire mage felt his mate's muscles tighten around his shaft as he came in hot, white jets. Natsu felt them land on his stomach, on his chest, and he released his bite to grit his teeth in ecstasy, head thrown back. _Gray..._ His arms went around the ice mage, gripping him like a vise as he shuddered and moaned, shooting his load deep into that tight heat. The Dragonslayer finally stopped thrusting, easing himself out and laying Gray next to him on the bed. They both lay there, panting and sweating and sated.

"Gray, that was hot." The black haired mage hid his face in Natsu's chest.

"Shut up."

"Oh, we're shy now, are we? You weren't shy a minute ago when you tied me up and mounted me like-" A pillow hit him in the face then, cutting off his words.

"I said shut up!"

"Did you really just hit me with a pillow?" 

Gray smiled and hit him again with a whack, soft and somehow insulting. Natsu's eyes lit up dangerously, and he snatched up the other pillow from the bed and began to beat Gray with it. Soon they were rolling around on the bed, smacking each other with as much violence as you could get out of a sack full of feathers. Their laughter rang out over the muted sound of the blows, and when one of the cases burst into an eruption of down, they collapsed in each others arms, out of breath all over again. Natsu felt a grin stretch across his face, white tufts floating down around them.

"I can't believe we just had a pillow fight." Gray smirked.

"I can. You're such a fucking girl." Natsu's mouth fell open.

"This girl just fucked you in the ass."

"Women are very capable these days. Don't underestimate them." The Dragonslayer leaned over and smacked him on the ass.

"Okay. I won't." They sat in silence for a few minutes before Natsu spoke. "I need you to do me a favor today."

"What's that?"

"After we clean up and eat, I need you to stay here while I go do something. But you can't go to the guild. You have to wait here for me." Gray sat up on his elbow, eying his mate suspiciously.

"What the hell for?" Natsu blushed and looked away.

"It's a surprise."

"I don't like surprises."

"You'll like this one." The Dragonslayer furrowed his brow. "I think, anyway."

.............................................................................................................................

Natsu and Gray showered and ate, and then the Dragonslayer departed, leaving behind a desperately curious ice mage. Time dragged on slowly as he waited impatiently for him to return. What the hell could be possibly be doing? Gray did his laundry and took out his trash, doing any mindless chore he could think of to pass the time. Hours ticked by. What the hell was taking so long? Gray cleaned up the feathers in his bedroom, stuffing them back into the case and setting it aside. He would make Lucy sew it up for him. It wouldn't be expensive to go buy another pillow, but it would be a pain in her ass to make her fix it, and Gray smiled at the thought of tormenting their guild mate. As he was delighting in the opportunity to harass the celestial wizard, Natsu came through the door with Happy and Lily.

"It's about goddamned time. Hey Happy, Lily. Do I even want to know why you're here now? It seems shady." Natsu held out his scarf.

"Tie this around your eyes." Gray raised his eyebrows skeptically.

"Are you serious?"

"It's a surprise, you bastard. Lily and Happy are going to fly us somewhere, and you can't see. Will you please stop being difficult and play along?" Natsu was defensive, and Gray's curiosity was eating him alive.

"Okay, fine." 

A few minutes later Gray and Natsu were soaring through the air, courtesy of Happy and Lily, with the ice mage blindfolded by Natsu's scarf. Gray was privately disappointed. He had not been flown around constantly like Natsu had, and secretly would have enjoyed being able to watch as they glided above the landscape. He would have to ask Happy later if he would fly him somewhere and not tell anyone about it. He was pretty much his cat too now right? It felt childish, but he still wanted to do it. Not much time had passed before he felt them descending, and Lily gave him a warning before his feet touched the ground. The two Exceeds said goodbye, Happy sounding giddy with excitement as he took off. Gray reached up to take off Natsu's scarf, only to have his hands smacked away.

"Not yet."

Natsu took his hand and began leading him, his feet unsteady over ground he could not see. Then suddenly the temperature changed, no longer a relatively warm autumn day, and if Gray had not been an ice wizard he would be profoundly cold. Snow crunched under his feet, a sound and feeling that Gray above anyone would recognize.

"Natsu, what the hell? Where are we?" They walked a few dozen feet before Natsu pulled them to a stop and released Gray's hand. After a few moment, he spoke up.

"Okay. You can take it off now."

Gray took Natsu's scarf off and blinked in surprise. All around him was a blanket of smooth white snow, extending in a circle around them. A purple circle. _Runes._ Freed had laid down some runes somehow, to keep the temperature cold. Gray sniffed, smelling a familiar scent. It was Levy. Levy's magic. She had made this snow with her Solid Script. Right next to the ice mage, in the center of the wintery circle, was a giant ice sculpture of two dragons, tails intertwined. None of these things were what had Gray speechless and open mouthed.

Natsu was before him, down on one knee, biting his bottom lip with a hesitant smile. He held up an open box with two rings inside, lacrima's shaped into circles, one of which had flames spinning within it.

"Holy shit, Natsu." Natsu's smile spread large and vibrant, too bright to look at for long.

"I know we're mated, and that's deeper and more permanent than anything else we could ever do, but I want to have you every way possible, claim you as many times as I can, in front of the whole world. I love you, Gray. Let's get fucking married."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the fic. No, really. The rest of this thing is just... cheesy, ridiculous, tooth rotting self indulgent porn fluff. Reader requests, and some obligatory switching, and it's so saccharine I cannot believe I wrote it. I was going to delete everything after this point because it's so fucking extra, but I got yelled at by an affectionately angry gratsu. So here it sits, but really. This is the end.


	29. Snow

_"I love you, Gray. Let's get fucking married."_

Gray couldn't find his voice for a moment, and when he thought he might be able to speak again several smart ass replies shot through his head, but he bit his tongue. Natsu looked so earnest, and so fucking unsure, brows drawn together and eyes begging Gray to answer. Gray wanted to call him an idiot, tell him how stupid he was for thinking that he could be in love with Natsu his entire life, be mated to him, happier than he had ever been in all of his existence, and even begin to think of saying no to this. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, and Gray hadn't felt this full of emotion since Natsu had first told him that he loved him. He took a few deep breaths, finding it harder than it should be to get air in his lungs.

"It's been two whole weeks, Natsu. I thought you'd never ask. Of course I'll fucking marry you, flame brain." Gray still could not breathe, but now it was because of Natsu, who was on his feet with his arms wrapped around the ice mage like a vise. He took a shuddering breath, and when Gray tried to pull back he wouldn't budge, burying his face in the ice mage's shoulders. When he spoke his voice was shredded.

"I was so damn nervous, I thought you might say no. Tell me it was stupid to get married. Being my mate is one thing, you didn't really have much choice and I was just lucky as fuck that you even.... but marrying me in front of everyone is something different, something you have a choice in. I didn't think.. I wasn't sure that..." Natsu trailed off, squeezing the ice mage even tighter, and he felt his ribs pressing inward under the strain. Gray's shoulder felt wet where Natsu's face was pressed into it, and it took him a few moments to realize that Natsu was crying, not making a sound. He ran his fingers through those pink strands, other arm snaking around Natsu's back to rub circles on his shoulder blades. Gray didn't really know what to do, he felt too full inside. Natsu _loved_ him, wanted to marry him so badly that when Gray said yes, he'd lost his shit. The ice mage's hand moved down to wipe the tears from Natsu's cheeks. It was awkward in the position they were in, and Gray probably gouged his eyes a few times, but neither Dragonslayer moved.

"Natsu. How could I say no? I love you, you idiot." The fire mage sniffed loudly, pulling his own hands up to wipe at his face before he pulled back and kissed Gray. It was gentle, and slow, and Natsu's hands stroked Gray's cheek, and threaded through his hair before interlocking his fingers with Gray's. When he released Gray's mouth, they were both panting and flushed. Natsu's eyes were wet and rimmed in red, and he had never looked so beautiful.

"Thank you." He took one of the rings out of the box, the one that had flames swirling inside it. "Here, give me your hand." Gray held out his left hand for his mate, but then he frowned.

"Aren't you supposed to wait until the ceremony to wear your wedding rings?" Natsu bit his lip as he slid the ring onto the third finger of Gray's left hand, and then his smile split his face wide as he just stared at it.

"Damn, that looks fucking perfect. My fire on you all the time, even when I'm not with you." Natsu looked back up to Gray's eyes. "I don't want to wait. I want to wear them now. The guild has been full of all these people lately, mages from other guilds and the families of the people we saved and people paying their respects to Juvia. Even though I hang all over you, and my scent is on your skin, and my bites are on your neck, and my mark is on your hand, these women still look at you like they're _hungry._ Anything I can put on you to mark you as mine, anything I can have that says that I'm yours? I want that. You are mine, and I'm not sharing, and I want everyone to know."

"You know they look at you like that too." Gray's voice went high and shrill. " 'Oh Salamander, you're so strong! You're so hot! We love you!' God, I've never wanted to hit a girl so bad in all my life." Natsu tackled him into the snow, straddling his hips and sitting over him.

"Aww. Gray's _jealous._ That's cute."

"So are you!"

"I'm a dragon." Gray smiled, teeth sharp, eyes glinting.

"So am I."

"I know. Your teeth look really sexy like that. I can almost feel them in my neck just looking at them." Natsu shifted his hips, grinding himself into Gray. The ice mage groaned, thrusting upwards without realizing it.

"Give me that other ring. I want to put it on you, too." Natsu grinned and pulled it out, giving it to Gray and thrusting out his hand. "Why's there fire in mine and nothing in yours?"

"They come empty, no magic in them. You charge it yourself. It's not just fire in your ring, but _my_ fire. You have to fill mine up with your ice." Gray blinked up at him, smirking.

"Natsu, that's just ridiculously god damned romantic." Natsu smacked him in the head, hard, and Gray winced. 

"Shut up and ice my damn ring, snowflake." Gray held the ring between his thumb and forefinger, willing his power into it. The lacrima lit up white for a moment, and then the light faded, leaving ice spinning through the ring like a snowstorm.

"Shit, they're really beautiful." Natsu thought he was fucking with him again, but Gray's face was serious as he watched his magic twirling blue and white inside the ring. He took Natsu's hand and eased the lacrima onto his finger. Natsu had never seen Gray look so serious, but when it was set in place his smile went vibrant, brighter than a thousand sunrises.

"If I say, 'Not as beautiful as you,' will you hit me?"

"Probably."

"I figured." Natsu grinned. "But it's true." Gray grabbed Natsu and flipped him over, shoving him down into the snow. He held the fire mage down by his shoulders, and Natsu thought he really was going to hit him for a minute. Then his mate leaned down and took his mouth, tongue pressing forward between his lips. Natsu opened his with a groan, pulling Gray down close to him, hands running up and down his back. He could not get close enough to Gray, wanted to crawl inside. Gray rocked his hips against the Dragonslayer, who bit his bottom lip, growling. The ice mage finally pulled back, breathing hard, eyes shining. Natsu sat up underneath him until Gray was sitting in his lap, and laid his face against Gray's guild mark.

"I'd like to fuck you in this ice, but there's something we need to do first." They were isolated, out here in the forest, with no one anywhere around to interrupt. Gray could smell the scents of the woods, hear the sounds it made, and they were well and truly alone here. There was nothing in this world Gray wanted more that for Natsu to pound him down into all this snow, roll around in his while he savaged him, grip it in his fists, desperately seeking purchase. He could not imagine what Natsu thought they needed to do. They needed to fucking _mate,_ and they needed to do it now.

"I think you're wrong." Natsu's hands dropped from where he held Gray tight. Gray was about to lean down and kiss him, when he suddenly ate a face full of snow. Natsu jumped out from under him, and before Gray could even move, a snowball smacked into his face. Natsu wanted to have a god damned _snowball fight_? With an ice make wizard?

"Oh, you're on you fucker."

Gray thought he had an easy win, but Natsu had clearly been practicing at manipulating the ice and snow. He was relentless, and they ran around the rune circle like idiots, blasting each other with snowballs, ducking and dodging, rolling to the side to evade before striking out with their fists and feet. They eventually forgot about the snow altogether and just started using their ice magic on one another. The two Dragonslayers fought as though it was deadly magic they were avoiding and not chunks of harmless ice, neither one capable of doing anything halfway. Gray summoned an ice cannon, shooting wave after wave of ice at Natsu. The fire mage, on the other hand, kept closing the distance between them, swinging ice-clad fists towards his mate. Gray would duck away, gain some distance between them before firing cold blasts at Natsu. The fire mage was laughing so hard it was hard to focus, and Gray's face was sore from smiling. Finally Natsu moved in close, taking Gray's feet out from under him and pouncing on the ice mage, pressing him down into the cold white blanket of snow underneath them and leaning in close.

"I surrender. You win. If you want your prize-" Natsu rolled his hips against Gray's, sending heat shooting through him in waves. "Then I'll give it to you."

Natsu's lips were hot on Gray's, teeth biting at the ice mage's mouth, tongue licking against his own. Gray was already shirtless, having taken it off without noticing sometime during their fight, and with all that snow at his back the fire mage's chest felt hot against his skin. Gray moaned into his mouth, hips arching up to meet Natsu's. He did not release the kiss as he fumbled with Gray's belt, unfastening it with a metallic sound before working the button and zipper one handed. Natsu was merciless with his lips as he tugged at Gray's pants. The ice mage lifted his hips eagerly, and his mate chuckled into his mouth.

"Are you okay like this, naked on all this snow? Not cold?" Gray was touched, but more than that he needed Natsu to _hurry._

"It's fine, c'mon, please..." He wanted to eat the words after he said them, pull them back into his mouth. If Natsu knew he wanted it so bad, he might tease him, torment him, and Gray wanted it _now._ "Don't tease me today, Natsu, please, just..." The fire mage's hand closed around his shaft, and Gray's words fell away into nothingness. He felt Natsu's teeth bite down hard into his neck, and the moan that came out of him was debauched. After what seemed like an eternity of stroking and licking and biting, the Dragonslayer pulled away to whisper in Gray's ear.

"I won't tease you, my love. How about I suck you dry?" 

That mouth full of heat sank down to Gray's chest, burying teeth into his flesh again and again as he made his way towards his cock. Gray made sounds that should have embarrassed him, grunts and gasps, but all he could do was _feel,_ and it was wonderful. Natsu rubbed his face back and forth across Gray's abdomen, tongue tracing the muscles there, teeth sinking in over each hip bone in turn.

"Y-you said you w-wouldn't tease..."

"I'm sorry. Forgive me."

Natsu took Gray into his mouth, and his vision went white and hot. The ice mage's hands buried themselves in those pink locks, and there was nowhere they'd ever felt better. The fire mage's tongue ran up his shaft from base to tip, swirling around the crown before he sucked it deep inside.

"Nnngg... N-natsu..." 

He loved hearing his name moaning it's way out of that mouth, and Gray knew it. Natsu reached up to rub his thumb over one of Gray's nipples as he worked his head up and down on Gray's cock, taking it deeper with each descent. He felt so good in Natsu's throat, and the sounds of appreciation he made around Gray's arousal vibrated up his shaft, eliciting another groan. Natsu ran two of his fingers through clean, white snow, melting it a little with his head before spread his mate's thighs wide. Those wet digits found Gray's entrance, easing inside as the ice mage thrust himself down on them, needy and wanting. Inside his mate was smooth and warm and felt like home, and Natsu wanted to bury his cock in there and never come out. He moved his mouth faster on Gray's shaft as he delved inside, seeking out that spot that would make his mate writhe. Natsu knew when he found it, because Gray began to pant and mewl, voice breathy and high. A song sung just for Natsu, music to his ears. Gray opened his mouth to warn Natsu, tell him he was coming, but nothing came out. It did not matter. Gray's body spoke to Natsu, a language only he understood. Muscles tensed and ready, head thrashing in the snow. Those hands tightened in his hair, pushing his head further down on Gray's cock. Face twisted in ecstasy, everything strung tight, and then he was shouting Natsu's name, pumping hot jets of seed into his mate's throat. The Dragonslayer swallowed it with a growl, fingers still scissoring themselves inside, until Gray finally tugged on his hair, pulling him up his body. Gray barely had time to press his lips to Natsu, when the fire mage slammed inside him, making him throw his head back.

"Oh, f-fffuck.."

He was not easy, or slow, or gentle. Natsu thrust wildly into his mate, kicking up snow all around them as he pounded him into the blanket of white. Gray's legs jerked with every savage movement of Natsu's hips, and he felt that sweet bite again and again, on his neck, his shoulder, his bicep. When they were through he would look like he'd been attacked by a beast. _Attacked by a dragon, in the best fucking way._ Gray had come so fiercely before that his cock still lay spent and lifeless, but as Natsu ravaged him it still felt so damn good. The fire mage's thrusts came faster, and he bent down low over his mate with a moan. He grabbed Gray's shoulders to hold him in place while he pistoned his hips, and the sounds he made were desperate and obscene.

"G-gray. S-so good..."

Gray leaned up and buried his teeth in Natsu's neck, hands fisting in his hair, and Natsu went still with a growl before resuming with slow, dazed thrusts as he shot his load deep into Gray. He stayed there for a long moment, panting, eyes closed, before withdrawing from Gray and pulling him onto his chest. It was a few minutes before he could speak, and when he did his voice was full of gravel.

"I'm never letting you go." Gray smiled, taking Natsu's hand and lacing their fingers together.

"Neither am I." They lay there a long time, feeling the bite of the snow on their skin, reveling in mate and magic. "So are you really gonna plan a wedding?" The fire mage laughed.

"No. I didn't tell anyone what I was doing, but once the girls find out, do you really think they're gonna let us do anything? Lucy and Levy and Mirajane are gonna be so damn excited to plan a literal Fairy Tail wedding. It's gonna be a serious fight to keep them from putting stupid fucking flowers on everything." Gray knew he was right, and he felt himself smirking.

"You gonna wear a wedding dress for me, Natsu?"

"If you want me to, I will fucking do it. Don't test me on this unless you're serious." Gray could not seem to get the ridiculous grin off of his face. Wasn't sure that he wanted to.

"I think you'll look sexy as hell in a tuxedo, anyway."

"You will too, if you can manage to keep it on for more than five minutes." Natsu's hands ran over Gray's skin, slow and steady and perfect.

"You like me better naked."

"This is true." Gray felt utterly blissed out, hands roaming across his mate's chest.

"Who's walking down the aisle, and who's waiting at the altar?"

"I think we should walk together. You spent enough time waiting for me, and I'm impatient as fuck. No more waiting."

"Yeah. You're right."

Gray and Natsu watched the sun go down from their icy refuge, silent and sated and overflowing with emotion. They laid in the snow until the runes started to fade, stars shining bright and metallic in the sky. As they started to make their way back, Gray's legs were wobbly and uncertain. When Natsu bent down to let Gray climb on his back, he did so with a smile. As Natsu piggybacked him through the streets of Magnolia back to his house, he knew they looked ridiculous, but he could not find it in himself to care.

He was Natsu's, and Natsu was his, and there was nothing else in this world that mattered.


	30. Undressing Room

Natsu and Gray were standing in a formal wear shop, both internally debating the best ways to murder a certain celestial wizard. It had been a few days since Natsu's proposal, and when they'd told the guild, everyone had been excited. A few of the guys made fun of them, of course, asking which one was the bride, but that was to be expected. The Dragonslayer wanted to have it quickly, just so he and Gray could go on a trip together afterwards, so they decided two weeks should be enough time to throw it together and get all their mages back from the jobs they were on. Natsu had told Gildarts that he wanted him to be his best man, and he would never have admitted to it, but the crash mage was choked up, muttering something about his little dragon being all grown up now. Gray had given the honor to Erza. She was more of a man than almost anyone in the guild, anyway. They'd also put her in charge of the cake, giving her free reign as long as it was nothing too girly. There had been tears in the armor mages eyes as she's promised to find the best cake in all of Fiore, and knowing Erza, there was probably some baker in tears somewhere, trembling under her fierce demands. Mira was taking care of the rest food and invitations, which would ask the guests to be discreet about the whole thing. They would announce it after the fact, had even invited Sorcerers Magazine to photograph the event, but they didn't want paparazzi bombing their guild on the big day. There would already be too many people, considering all their allies showing up, without fans and a bunch of reporters. They also had to consider that with two guys getting married, some dumbasses would be bound to protest, and the Dragonslayers didn't want to have to kill anyone on their wedding day. It would be bad for the guild.

It had been Natsu who wanted the magazine to come do a story on their nuptials, much to everyone's surprise. He hated publicity and never liked to be featured on their pages. This was different, he said, because he wanted every mage and fangirl in Fiore to know that Gray was his. The fire mage had even offered to do a photo shoot for them with he and Gray, as long as it was not Jason who came to take the pictures, much to his mates dismay. Gray had railed against it, embarrassed more than anything else, but Natsu's eyes had gone dark and heated as he said, 'Anything to stake my claim on you for all the world to see.' The ice mage had been stunned into silence, and Natsu had taken that as a yes.

Lucy had originally wanted to take care of the decorations, but when they refused to allow any flowers she'd thrown a fit, saying that was the best part. Now Levy was in charge of getting the guild hall ready, and Lucy was here with them, picking out tuxedos and driving them batshit fucking crazy as she ran the shop attendant ragged. As far as they were concerned, any tux would do, but this was Lucy. The Dragonslayers told her she could pick their clothes to placate her and nothing could be so easy with the blonde mage. They had been here for almost an hour and still not actually tried anything on. The employee was getting flustered with all her questions and complaints about cuts and fabrics and alterations, finally looking over to the two for help.

"So which of you.... ah, lucky gentlemen is the husband to be?" They glanced at each other with a smirk. He thought one of them was marrying Lucy, and they both found the idea fairly hilarious. Natsu stepped up behind Gray, putting his arms around the ice mage's waist and leaning his face in close. _Here we fucking go. Every single time. Damn it all, Natsu....._ The Dragonslayer sank his teeth into Gray's throat, and the dark haired mage flushed and jolted in pleasure as his mate started licking and sucking at the flesh there, eyes locked on the store's employee just _daring_ him to say something. Natsu released his bite to kiss the bruised skin he left behind, rubbing his nose against Gray's neck.

"We're both the lucky gentlemen." Lucy and the clerk both blushed hot and bright, and she grabbed the garment bags out of his hand and thrust them at the pair.

"Go try these on." 

Natsu smiled, grabbing Gray's hand and tugging him into a dressing room in the back corner of the store. They heard Lucy muttering something about stupid horny dragons. Natsu and Gray stripped down to their boxers quickly, about to start getting dressed when they happened to glance up at each other. Gray did not remember there ever being a time since they had been mated that they had undressed this way to do something besides shower or have sex. Natsu held his mate's gaze with a smirk, and Gray felt his face heat.

"Can't even try on a suit without wanting to jump me, snowflake?" Gray smacked Natsu in the side of his head, pulling his pants on with sharp tugs.

"Me? You! You're the one who pulled me into the same dressing room! People usually use separate ones, ya know. Idiot flame-brained bastard." The fire mage had his pants on and was buttoning his shirt.

"I wasn't sure you even knew how to get dressed. I mean, you can take the clothes off, yeah, but-" Gray shoved him backwards into the wall, and when it rattled behind him Natsu looked at him like a disobedient child. "If you destroy the building Makarov will be pissed. The Magic Council is paying for all the wedding shit as thanks for Dorobo but they're not gonna cover a formal wear store that you decided to tear down in a fit of rage." Gray was about to start yelling at Natsu in earnest when the ice mage realized he had taken off the pants he'd just donned.

"Fucking hell." Natsu laughed, holding his stomach and leaning forward, shaking with it. 

"You damn stripper!" He was fully dressed in his tux now, save for the tie, which he was not going to put on. Not today. Not ever. He tossed it over the door towards where he thought Lucy might be.

"I'm not wearing a fucking tie, Lucy!"

"Damn it, Natsu, it's your wedding! You have to!" The fabric sailed back over the wall into the stall, landing across Natsu's head.

"Do not!" 

"Do too!" He snatched it up and rolled it into a ball, encasing it in ice before throwing it back at her.

"Yeah, whatever, good luck getting it on me." Lucy squealed, dodging the chunk of ice.

"Gray you need to keep your damn fiance in line!" 

They heard the blonde wizard stomp off and Natsu could not help but giggle at her. Until he looked up and saw Gray, buttoning up the jacket of his own tux, hair touseled from getting changed. The Dragonslayer was sure he had to have seen the ice mage in a tuxedo at some point, but could not seem to bring it to mind. His mate was _mouthwatering_ in that stupid penguin suit. The top two buttons were still open, and Natsu could see the barest hint of his guild mark underneath. The fire mage had moved forward without realizing it, hands finding Gray's hips and shoving him into the wall, grinding against him as he leaned in close. The ice mage could feel the heat of his breath on his lips as he spoke.

"Fuck, Gray, you look indecent in that thing." 

"Y-your not so bad, yourself." Natsu leaned in and bit Gray's bottom lip, tugging it out with a growl before letting go to trail his lips to his mate's throat. "Natsu... W-we can't do this here." The Dragonslayer was not listening, laving sensually at Gray's sensitive neck. "We at least have to show L-lucy." The fire mage pulled back, eyes glittering with desire.

"Okay. We'll show her.... first." Natsu released him, letting Gray get himself together for a moment before he opened to door. "Lucy, we're getting these."

"Those are the only ones you even tried on! You can't just buy the only-" Natsu slid his hand down Gray's back, grabbing his ass with a smirk. The shop clerk was nowhere to be seen, but Lucy's face burned all over again as Gray punched Natsu in the shoulder.

"But Gray looks so fucking sexy in it." Even Lucy had to admit that the tuxes looked pretty good.

"Okay, shit, fine. I'll just make Erza and Gildarts try on clothes for me. They're good sports, not like you two bastards." Natsu shoved Gray back into the dressing room, glancing over his shoulder at Lucy and winking. Fucking _winking._

"We're gonna help each other out of these things. Give us a sec, will you?" Lucy felt her face flame. She was about to protest when the sound of bells distracted her. Lucy looked over to see three more customers enter the store, a second clerk rushing over to help them. When she turned back around, the door was closed.

Natsu shoved Gray into the wall, mouthing at his throat as he worked the buttons on the ice mage's jacket.

"N-natsu, we can't. Not here." The Dragonslayer ignored him, sliding his mate's jacket off and tossing it to the floor. He bit into one of Gray's collarbones, eliciting a moan from the ice mage who slapped a hand over his mouth. He spoke in a whisper, gesturing to the door. "Natsu! There are people out there!" Gray would not admit it, but he was hard just thinking of it, people so close they could hear every little sound they made. Natsu ran his tongue up Gray's neck to his ear, tracing the shell with it before he spoke in a low sultry voice.

"Then you'll just have to keep quiet, so they don't hear those sexy sounds you make." He paused, biting his mates earlobe. "Unless you want them to hear. Whatever my mate wants." A whimper came out of Gray's throat as Natsu slid his hands in his shirt, slipping it down his arms slowly before discarding it. The fire mage tossed his own jacket and shirt unceremoniously before rubbing his palms over Gray's chest, around his shoulders, back up to his stomach. Natsu flattened his hand out, easing one into Gray's pants as he used to other to undo the ice mage's belt. Gray let out a ragged breath as the Dragonslayer's hand closed around his shaft. Natsu leaned in to whisper into his ear again.

"Look how hard you are, my little exhibitionist. Maybe you do want them to listen. They'd be lucky to hear those moans that come out of you when I take you."

"Natsu.... ahhhh...." That hot palm began to stroke Gray's arousal, slow and agonizing. The ice mage bucked up into his palm, and Natsu let out a soft, dark chuckle.

"So eager." The fire mage pushed Gray's pants down his thighs, along with his boxers, tugging his boots off the allow the rest to come free, until his mate stood naked and panting before him. "God, you look fucking delicious. I can't resist. I need to _taste._ "

Natsu dropped to his knees in front of the ice mage, looking up into Gray's eyes as he ran his tongue up the underside of his shaft. The dark haired mage bit his lip to stifle a moan, gasping out a ragged breath. He had to close his eyes, could not hold Natsu's gaze as the fire wizard took him into his mouth.

"Nnnn....."

Gray covered his mouth with his hand again, trying to quiet the needy sounds that came out of him as Natsu bobbed up and down on his cock, tongue swirling around as he sucked. His hips thrust forward of their own volition, slamming against the back of the Dragonslayers throat. Gray looked down, suddenly hyper aware of the small gap underneath the door. If anyone looked, they would see Natsu on his knees before Gray, and it would be painfully obvious what they were doing. His length twitched in Natsu's mouth at the thought. He heard himself whine, a high pitched sound that made Gray's face flush all over again. The fire mage picked up one of his mate's feet, throwing him off balance for a moment as he pulled it over his shoulder. He felt so exposed like that, and he felt heat roil through him. Gray was confused for the barest instant about why the Dragonslayer had moved his leg before realization shot through him. Then Natsu's fingers were delving into his entrance, and Gray's hands fisted in those pink locks they knew so well, tightening so hard it must hand been painful. The Dragonslayer made a sound of appreciation as he curled his fingers into Gray's prostate, causing the ice mage to throw his head back so fast that it slammed into the wall. His hips twisted and quaked, trying to pump his cock forward into that mouth and backwards to impale himself deeper on those long fingers at the same time. Gray wanted Natsu to touch him _everywhere,_ and as Natsu scissored his digits inside him a loud, reedy sound came out of his mouth. He was going to come, soon, and Natsu could tell. The fire mage released Gray's cock with a wet sound, pulling his fingers free as he stood up in front of his mate. He pressed his face in close, unbuckling his belt and shoving his own pants down. Natsu spoke in a low whisper, barely loud enough for Gray to hear.

"Guess I'll have to keep that mouth of yours quiet, since you can't seem to, love." 

Natsu took his mate's lips with a vengeance, tongues twining together violently, moisture leaking out down Gray's face. He mewled into the Dragonslayer's mouth, leg arching up around his mate's hip to grind himself into Natsu's length. Gray did not care where they were, who heard them, who saw them, what he sounded like. He was wanton, desperately seeking friction, shameless as he rubbed against Natsu's shaft. Natsu lived for these moments, when he heated his mate up until Gray was a slave to sensation. The fire mage reached down and put his arms around Gray's thighs, hoisting him up without breaking their kiss. Gray flailed for a moment before wrapping his legs around Natsu's waist to steady himself, arms curling tight around his neck, hands caressing the muscles of his shoulders. It didn't take the ice mage long to figure out what he planned to do, and his muscles trembled in anticipation. He hadn't planned on saying anything out loud, but then his lips pulled back and the words were there between them, quiet but unmistakable.

"Fuck me, Natsu."

Natsu closed his eyes tight, taking a deep breath, trying to relax in the face of his mate ordering him to fuck him. _Shit._ Gray leaned in to bring their lips together again, mouths slick and slanting against each other. The Dragonslayer eased his hand down, and when Gray felt Natsu's cock rubbing up and down against his hole, he moaned loud and needy around his mate's tongue. The head of his swollen arousal slipped into Gray's tight heat, and the fire mage slid him down on his length, inch by agonizing inch. When Natsu buried himself to the hilt inside the ice mage, Gray shoved his face in the pink haired wizards throat, stifling his whimpers in that hot flesh. The Dragonslayer lifted his mate up, leaving just the tip of his cock inside before he impaled Gray mercilessly on it. He pressed his back against the wall to support some of Gray's weight and began thrusting in earnest, wall shaking under the assault. Their hands were everywhere, mouths were everywhere, everything skin and warmth and want. They had not been incredibly loud so far, just a few of Gray's whines and moans, but now the wall rattled as the Dragonslayer savaged his mate against it. _Everyone can hear you._ The ice mage felt pleasure arc through him as he thought of them listening, thought of them seeing the subtle shaking of the dressing room. When Natsu felt the ice mage's teeth bury themselves in his flesh, he was the one who moaned out loud, biting his lip as the noise resonated, pumping his hips faster into Gray as desperate murmurs poured out of his throat.

"T-touch yourself. H-hands are... nnnnnnggg... b-busy right now. Ffffffuck, Gray, you're so fucking tight." Gray extricated one of his hands to take himself in hand. His mouth opened on a ragged gasp. He did not have a good range of motion with his arm crushed between them both, but it was enough to make him ache, sack tightening as his climax loomed.

"Haaaaahhhh... N-nat- FUCK!" He was not quiet, or subdued, and he did not care. Natsu had repositioned his mate, and now that throbbing arousal was scraping over his sweet spot with every stroke. "Natsu!" Gray's hand flew faster, squeezing hard, thumb rolling over his leaking crown. "Shh... Shit, Natsu. Not g-gonna last...." Natsu licked up Grays throat to his ear, snaking around its edges, sloppy and rough.

"Come for me, love." _Natsu loves me._ It was still too much to believe, sometimes, even after everything that happened, and those honeyed words in his ear sent him careening over the edge.

"Unnnnnh!"

Gray tensed up, biting his lip hard enough to break the skin as his seed shot out, jetting between them, on Natsu's chest, all over his own hand. He shuddered, head thrashing back and forth, breathy whines hot on the Dragonslayers skin. Natsu felt him clench up around his cock, begging for his come, and he was glad to give it to him. Was glad to give his Gray anything and everything he ever wanted. The sun. The moon. The stars. All there was in this life or the next, everything belonged to his ice mage. All he had to do was ask, and this Dragonslayer would bring it to him without fail. Everything went bright and tight and hot. No air to breathe, no thoughts in his head, just warmth and love and mate and-

"Gaahhh...."

Natsu unloaded deep inside of Gray, filling him up, some of it leaking down out of him. He kept rocking his hips, quaking, a growl coming out of his throat. The fire dragon wanted to stay forever inside, frozen in this post orgasm daze with Gray, everything fuzzy and euphoric. Natsu did not pull out, hugging Gray tight and turning around so his own back was to the wall as he eased them both to the ground. He lifted up the knee closest to the door, blocking Gray from the crack underneath just in case. The ice mage was limp in his arms, breath hot on Natsu's neck, chest heaving.

"You did so good, Gray." Gray laughed, hugging Natsu tighter. He wanted to bitch at him, tell him he didn't need his approval, but something inside him sang at the praise. Natsu placed soft kisses over his mate's shoulder, his neck, his hair as he fumbled through their discarded to clothes to find his boxers. He eased out of the ice mage, pressing the cloth against him to keep his fluids from dripping everywhere before he sat Gray back down in his lap, pulling him close. When his breathing evened out and the shivers subsided, Natsu finished cleaning them up as best he could before finding Gray's shirt in the mess. The fire mage threaded Gray's arms through the sleeves and began working the buttons in the front.

"I can dress myself, Natsu."

"Shhhhh. Let me. Please."

Gray left his forehead pressed against Natsu's jaw as the Dragonslayer finished the buttons and grabbed the ice mage's jacket, holding it out for him to put on. Natsu then turned Gray around on his lap, facing him forward and helping him tug up his boxers and pants before allowing his mate to pull his shoes on. Natsu leaned down and laced up the boots, kissing his cheek as he tied them tight. He shoved his soiled boxers deep into his own pocket before they both stood up, allowing the pink haired mage to tuck himself away and refasten his belt. Gray was wobbling a bit on his feet as Natsu shoved the tuxedos in their garment bags, balance more uncertain than usual. It was probably the position they'd used, hips forced open so wide. Natsu felt guilty. He'd fucked Gray in a dressing room for all the world to hear, made a wretched mess out of him in public in the middle of the day. He didn't regret it, exactly, but he felt like he should spoil the ice mage if he would allow it.

"I'm sorry, Gray. You want another piggy back ride? You can hide your face in my hair and I'll carry you home and wash you and rub your back." The Dragonslayer expected Gray to tell him to fuck off, and was surprised when he nodded wearily, wordlessly. "Did I fuck your brains out, snowflake?" The ice mage punched him in the chest half heartedly.

"Fuck off. Let me up, you bastard." _There it is._ Natsu crouched down and his mate climbed on his back, hands tight around the fire mage's neck as Gray looped his feet together across his stomach. Natsu stood up and opened the door to the dressing room to see a furious Lucy standing a few feet away. She opened her mouth to speak before the Dragonslayer cut her off.

"What's taking you so long, Lucy? Get the tuxedos and pay the man. You can hold onto them for now, might wanna have them dry cleaned before the ceremony. Me and Gray are going home." Gray peeked out of the safety of Natsu's hair at the celestial wizard, giving her a little wave.

"Bye, Luce." His voice was small and dazed, like an overmedicated patient. Natsu really had fucked him senseless. 

They got home and Natsu ran Gray a bath, massaging his shoulders and back until he was boneless, half in sleep. Those warm hands leaned the ice mage back against Natsu, and he ran hungry fingers over Gray's chest, his neck, his stomach, his face. Threaded them through those raven locks, slid them across wet, swollen lips. Before long he heard his mate snore softly, mumbling incoherently from time to time. Natsu picked him up and let his flames burst forth. Usually he just dried them both and recalled his magic back inside, but he let them burn, swelling and pulsing, bathing them in fire. He closed his eyes and reveled in the heat of his blaze, the heat of his mate, the power that burned inside them both, tying them together with flames. Natsu finally lay down in their bed with Gray in his arms, tucking the ice mage in so close there was no space between them. Natsu could not wait to claim him again in front of all the world.

 

He did not sleep, but lying next to his mate gave him peace like nothing else on earth.


	31. Denied

Natsu and Gray were at the guild surrounded by their guild mates and allies celebrating in advance of the ceremony the next day, Fairy Tail already decked out with flowers and ice sculptures and far too much decoration for Natsu's liking. Lucy had been so furious after they had gone to pick out their tuxedos that they had finally given her free reign so she would forgive them. So there were flowers _everywhere,_ and Natsu finally decided fuck it, it did not hurt him in the slightest to let the celestial mage have her fun. Each table had a pair of dragon's made of ice surrounded by blue and purple orchids as a centerpiece, a smaller version of the one Natsu had created when he proposed to Gray, with flames shooting out of their mouths into the air. They would stay burning until the magic ran out, for days at least, since Natsu's fire no longer melted his mate's ice. Their magic could exist together in harmony, one not harming other despite their opposite natures, and there was something deep about that which the Dragonslayer could not put words to. Just looking at them made him feel ridiculously happy, and as he glanced over at his mate laughing at something Sting said he could not help but smile. The Sabertooth guild master, along with Rogue, Yukino, and Rufus were there, though the others they knew from their guild were unable to make it. There were also mages from Blue Pegasus, as well as Mermaid heel and Lamia Scale, among others. A few representatives from the magic council were present, and even the Princess of Fiore has RSVP'd for the next day, but had not arrived yet. Though the ceremony was not until the next day, most of their friends had shown up early to celebrate. Other than Lyon and Juvia, as well as the twin dragons, no one outside of Fairy Tail had known Gray and Natsu were a couple, let alone _mates,_ who were getting married. A few mages thought it was a prank, arriving at Fairy Tail with skeptical looks on their faces only to find Natsu and Gray covered in hickeys and all over each other in a way that left no room for doubt.

A photographer from Sorcerer's Magazine had shown up a few days before to do a photo shoot of the two at Natsu's insistence. They had never met this one before, but he was calm and collected, nothing like the exuberant fanboy they were used to dealing with. He had brought a make up artist, intending to cover up their bites and bruises for the pictures, and was promptly refused by the pair. 

_'I put those there for a reason, you fucker, you're not taking my marks off my mate.'_

Gray had been just as adamant as the Dragonslayer, making sure to inform both the photographer and those who had come with him that they did not want the bites retouched out of the photos either. They could do their shoot on the condition that they left them in. So they ended up taking the pictures of the pair in their normal clothes, or lack thereof in Gray's case, with bruises and love bites intact, ready to be printed in the next issue of their magazine after the newlyweds had left for their honeymoon. Natsu did not want gawkers, or worse homophobic assholes, coming to Fairy Tail to harass him and his mate before their wedding. If people saw the spread and wanted to come to the guild to be a pain in the ass, they would be greeting with angry guild mates, but no Gray or Natsu. Makarov knew that the guild would probably catch hell, having the first openly gay married mages in Fiore, but he could not care less. His children would relish beating the bigotry out of anyone who decided they didn't like it. Hell, they would probably enjoy it more than they should. Gajeel in particular was excited, aching for the first idiot who decided to come fuck with them. He thought Natsu was an idiot, but he was a fellow Dragonslayer, and an insult to Natsu his mate was an insult to him as well.

Now everyone was on their way to thorough drunkeness on the eve of the big day, and Natsu and Gray were getting ready to sneak out and head home. The two Dragonslayer's had enjoyed everyone's company, but they were both tired and ready to go home, fuck like rabbits, and get some much needed rest. They made their way to the door, only to have Erza appear out of nowhere, along with Gildarts, Lucy, and Wendy blocking their path. Natsu and Gray eyed them warily, cutting their eyes at each other.

"We'll see you tomorrow, we're gonna go get some rest." Erza and Gildarts both shook their heads, the girls next to them smiling wide, faces full of mischief. The armor mage spoke, looking too pleased with herself.

"Nope. You guys have been joined at the hip for weeks now, and while it's romantic and all, we're taking you with us for the night. Separately." Natsu's eyes narrowed on them in disbelief.

"You can't be serious." Lucy answered him, smirking.

"Very serious. You can't just stay with each other forever. When you two get ready to walk down the aisle together tomorrow, you'll be truly glad to see each other. It'll be better this way, trust me." The fire mage's voice was growing louder and louder, and Gray was rolling his eyes at both his mate and his friends and their joint stupidity.

"Trust you like I did with the decorations? I can't smell shit now, just fucking flowers everywhere and it's making my head hurt. I don't know how you even got this many to fit in here."

"SHUT UP! The guild looks amazing and you know it! Now we're not taking no for an answer, kiss your fiance and let's go. If you try to fight us we'll just screw up the guild hall and make a mess. You want to ruin your own wedding?" 

"Guys, is this really necessary? I mean we've been living together for weeks and weeks now." Gray sounded exasperated, ready to smack everyone within arms reach, Natsu included.

"That's exactly the point. You can't miss him if he's never gone. Now, do I need to requip or are we going?" Natsu's eyes flicked from one mage to another, sizing them up for a moment as though he was truly getting ready to fight them on this. Then he looked at Gray and sighed, defeat in his voice.

"This is fucking stupid." He wanted to get his mate home, and take off what was left of his clothes, and tear him into pieces under his mouth. Now he would have to wait an entire day get his hands on Gray, and he realized what his friends were getting at. By the time they got on the road to go on their honeymoon, Natsu would be desperate for his mate. Had he even gone an entire day without shoving Gray down on their bed and making him wretched with want? Not since they had thought Juvia dead, for sure, and before that it had been Gray's trip to Era. The ice mage seemed like he was getting it too, biting his lip as his eyes roamed hungrily up and down his Dragonslayer.

"I dunno. You have to wait until after the ceremony now. It'll be almost worth it." He didn't say the rest, but he didn't have to. Natsu could see it in his eyes. _When you get your hands on me, we'll be married, and it'll be so fucking good._ The Dragonslayer stepped up to his mate, tugging him into a kiss as their guild mates groaned around them in disgust. They should be used to this by now, but they managed to seem freshly offended by the sight. The fire mage ignored them, making love to his mate's mouth soft and slow for long moments until he finally pulled back, grinning at the flush in those pale cheeks.

"You fucker. Did you plan this with them?" Erza responded as Gray shook his head, black stands tickling Natsu's face as he did so.

"No, it was Lucy's and my idea. We just got Gildarts and Wendy because we didn't know how difficult you two would be. I asked Cana to come with me, Wendy, and Gray, but she said it wouldn't be a good idea. Something about how you would eat her if she was around Gray without you there." Natsu growled even as he was smiling, thinking that the card mage was smarter than she looked. The Dragonslayer hugged Gray tight, trying to breathe in enough of that sweet winter scent to last him until the next day, finally releasing him with a groan.

"Okay, fuck, let's go." He walked over to Gildarts and Lucy like a prisoner headed to the gallows, glancing back towards his mate longingly, green eyes shining with emotion. "I'll see you tomorrow, Gray?" Gray wanted to laugh at the question in his tone, like he would leave Natsu at the altar, a groom jilted by his bride. _Oh, so you're the bride now, eh Gray?_ He shook his thoughts away, amused with himself. Gray would be Natsu's bride if he asked him to, just as Natsu had said he would be for the ice mage. He would do anything for his Dragonslayer.

"Yes, Natsu. I'll see you tomorrow." His fire mage smiled, and it left his heart stuttering like it always did, beating erratic and quick in his chest. Gildarts and Lucy dragged Natsu out the door, and as it slammed he heard his mate yelling from the other side.

"I love you Gray!" This time Gray did laugh, before shouting out in answer.

"I love you too, Natsu!"

There was a collective 'Awwwwwwwww,' that rang out behind him, and he turned around to see everyone with their eyes on him, grinning like idiots. They had been watching the scene unfold, those who weren't used to seeing the two together in slight disbelief. Gray blushed, crossing his arms over his chest as he went to snatch up a glass of booze.

"Fuck all you guys." His audience just laughed before resuming their revelry. The ice mage skulked over to where Lyon and Juvia sat, scowl etched into his face as he started drinking in earnest. 

"Hey, slow down there. You don't want to be hungover at your own damned wedding." Gray locked gazes with him, chugging the rest down in defiance while Lyon rolled his eyes.

"I'll be hungover at my wedding if I damn well please. Hell, I could be drunk at it and Natsu wouldn't care." His brother laughed as Juvia smirked, and Gray realized just how bizarre it was to be sitting here with her and Lyon and not feel awkward or annoyed by her presence. The three of them could be together, and it wasn't unpleasant, nor was there any tense rivalry coming from Lyon like there used to be. The white haired mage had his arm around Juvia, who leaned into him with a smile. Lyon had finally snagged the girl, Gray had gotten the guy he'd loved since childhood, and none of them could be happier. Well, maybe he could have been if his dumbass guild mates weren't full of bright ideas and good intentions, and he was moaning underneath Natsu at the moment instead of drinking next to his brother at his guild hall the night before his wedding.

"Man, if you would've told me a few years ago that I'd be at you and Natsu's wedding one day, I would have laughed in your face, Gray." 

"I wish someone could've told me a few years ago. Would've saved me a lot of pain."

"Why's that? Weren't you pretty surprised by all this, too?" Lyon looked honestly confused, and the dark haired mage wanted to laugh at him.

"You really didn't ever notice? Not on Galuna Island, not since you came back, never?"

"Notice what? And I was a little fucking distracted on Galuna, in case _you_ hadn't noticed." Gray sighed, shaking his head with a small grin.

"Fuck. Well, at least it wasn't just Natsu that's a complete idiot, I guess. I've been in love with him for years. Since I was a kid. Forever." His brother had the decency to reign in some of his shock, taking a swig of his drink.

"Really? I thought it was a little more... sudden than all that."

"Not for me. But Natsu, he's dense as fuck, he didn't figure it out either." Lyon laughed a little too loudly at that.

"Well, both of you have it figured out now, hell you're getting married, that's all that counts, right?" Gray smiled so wide his face hurt, swirling his second glass of wine, which Lucy had insisted be served, staring into the spinning fluid like it had answers. Gray didn't really need them though.

"Yeah. That's all that counts." 

Gray had spent countless nights alone longing for the Dragonslayer, empty and hurting inside. All those years of heartache fell away, burned up by the most delicious fire, and all that was left was here and now. He was getting married to Natsu tomorrow. Nothing wiped that smile off his face for the rest of the night, and when he climbed into a strange bed alone in the girls dormitory that did not smell like heat and mate, it was okay, because he knew Natsu was at Lucy's house, aching for him just the same.

 

.........................................................................

Natsu had slept in Lucy's bed many times before, and it had always been the most comfortable place on earth, even if it smelled too strongly of lotion and soap and perfume. Something about it had always soothed him, familiar and lulling him into his dreams with ease. It had been quite some time since he'd crawled in between these sheets, however, and there was none of that easy comfort to be found. Lucy was on her couch snoring, Gildarts on the floor in front of the door to keep Natsu from taking off, as though he couldn't just jump out the window and land on his feet unharmed. He was a fucking Dragonslayer, it would take a lot more than a fall that high to keep him from Gray. It would be an easy thing to escape these two, but he didn't try, though his arms itched to find his mate and pull him close. The Dragonslayer had been the one to pop the question, to get their friends involved and ask his mate to marry him. There was nothing he wanted in this world more than to stand beside Gray in every way he could, as his ally, as his friend, as his mate, and tomorrow, as his husband. Still, Natsu was nervous, butterflies that felt more like fucking birds fluttering around in his chest. 

The fire mage did not know what he was nervous about, exactly. It wasn't as though Gray was going to change his mind, right? Mates were forever, this was just a formality, to satisfy Natsu's possessive instincts and lay claim to Gray for everyone to see. But there was still some small unsure part of his mind that, even after everything they had been through, felt that it was too good to be true. That Gray would come to his senses and tell Natsu to fuck off, mate or no mate. The dark parts of his mind whispered to him that he might go to their guild tomorrow, full of eager anticipation, to find the guild empty of his mate. All his friends looking at him with pity in their eyes, but not surprise. Who would be surprised, really, if the ice mage did not want Natsu for his husband? Who would actually want such a thing? A spouse who was stupid and impulsive, who's first reaction to something was to lash out with flames and fury instead of giving anything moments thought. If Gray had been with him, he could have just told his mate all his stupid insecure thoughts, and the ice mage would have made fun of him. Kissed him. Told him how much he loved him. Natsu did not need to understand why Gray loved him, just needed that perfect mouth to say it, those cool hands to run through his hair and brush away his doubts.

The Dragonslayer shook himself, picturing those blue black eyes looking up at him with adoration as he slid himself inside, those teeth clenching in bliss as he savaged him, dark hair haloed around his head as Natsu took all that Gray was and made it his own. _No._ Gray would be there tomorrow, waiting to walk with Natsu up their makeshift altar, ready to tell everyone that yes, he was Natsu's, and Natsu was his. Forever. For always.

Natsu curled tighter into himself, and with thoughts of snow and mate, he finally eased into sleep.


	32. 'Till Death Do Us Part

Natsu, Lucy, and Gildarts had made their way to Fairy Tail that morning and were now, hours and hours later, in the guild master's office waiting for showtime. Downstairs everyone was filing in, taking their seats and chattering together. The Dragonslayer could hear the noise, a low hum of muted conversation in his ears that he tuned out automatically. He'd been doing it for so long that it was second nature, and right now he could not give a shit what any of them were saying. Everyone was dressed and ready, just waiting on the stragglers to show up and take their seats before they began the ceremony. Everyone had gotten to pick their own clothes, save Gildarts who had been at Lucy's mercy. The celestial wizard wore a blue and white dress that had a criminally high slit, along with a low neckline. Natsu figured it was probably for Loke's benefit, but he kept his mouth shut. The Dragonslayer's tuxedo wasn't particularly remarkable, but he did wear a light pink shirt underneath as opposed to a white one. If anyone could pull it off, it was certainly the fire mage. Gray had told Natsu his was ice blue, over Lucy's vehement protests that he not tell his mate. The photographer from Sorcerer's Magazine was still hanging around, taking their pictures for free in exchange for permission to print them. Gray was somewhere in the girls dorm with Erza, and the rest of the girls were probably packed in there with the ice mage fawning over him. _Bitches._ It had been less than a day since he'd seen his mate and it felt like an eternity. Even Natsu had not realized just how much he'd become accustomed to waking up with Gray by his side, fighting the ice mage for the blankets though he didn't really use them, dressing and brushing his teeth with Gray in the way. Bumping into him as they dressed, shoving each other when Natsu got underfoot making breakfast. Gray was a pain in the ass, and he was beautiful and smelled good and Natsu _missed_ him. 

There was no priest anywhere to be found. Instead, Levy had taken a two day course and gotten ordained so that she could marry the two. Somehow having a strange guy they didn't know overseeing their wedding didn't sit right with Gray or the fire mage. Who better than the nerdy book worm of their guild to handle it? She had actually been a little excited to be able to legally marry people, and already plotting who the next Fairy Tail wedding would be so that she could officiate. Loke and Virgo were seating the guests in the chairs that had been set up for the ceremony, and no one had ever seen this many people in the guild at one time. By the time all was said and done, it would be packed to the rafters with people who had come to see the two wed. Gray would wait at the bottom of the stairs while Lucy, Erza, Gildarts and Lyon walked in pairs down the steps and up to the improvised altar. Only after Asuka made her way down first, probably bouncing with excitement the entire time, overjoyed that she got to be a flower girl at Natsu and Gray's wedding. Then once everyone had reached the front, Natsu would descend so they could make their way together without actually seeing each other beforehand. Gajeel had made fun of him, saying that this made the fire mage the bride after all, and the pink haired wizard did not even care.

Gildarts was wearing a suit with a dressy cloak that the Dragonslayer had never seen before. It was funny somehow that he even had it, and then it made the fire mage wonder if he had a row of them in his closet. Summer cloak, winter cloak, casual, formal, sporty. He suppressed a giggle, but even his amusement at Gildarts formal wear could not ease his nerves. Natsu sat cross legged on top of Makarov's desk, elbows resting on his knees, head in his hands as he tugged at his hair. Lucy scolded him, and not for the first time that day. All she had done was fuss over him, tisking and fretting and driving him crazy, yet there was no one else Natsu would rather have there with him than these two.

"Stop that, damn it! You're gonna mess it up and I've fixed it three times already!" Natsu growled at her, releasing his tortured pink strands so he could put his palms on the desk and lean back.

"I'm sorry! I'm just so fucking nervous!" Gildarts patted him on the shoulder for the hundredth time that day. The crash mage was a father to him as much as Igneel had been, and just having him nearby was reassuring. Gildarts had helped Natsu control his fire magic, had watched over him when he was young if he was not on a mission. Carried his sleeping form to bed. Bandaged his cuts and bruises, most of which had been the result of his fights with Gray. Taught him the meaning of family, and courage. Taught him the importance of fear. Now Gildarts would be there to watch him get married, and though it was nothing so fated and epic as a Dragonslayer's mating, it was still important to Natsu. Even so, his presence did not quell the tension radiating from the Dragonslayer, hotter than his flames had ever been. His mouth was dry, his hands shaky, breathing unsteady though he was sitting still. The crash mage patted Natsu on the back, chuckling affectionately at what was, for all intents and purposes, his son.

"There's nothing to be nervous about, kid. It's fine. Gray loves you, you're gonna get married and dance and get drunk and eat cake, and then you're gonna go on your honeymoon and fuck until you can't walk anymore." Lucy made a disgusted sound as the crash mage continued. Gildarts' brain only had three functions: fathering, fighting, and fucking. "What's there to be worried about? Be happy!" Natsu had a hard time putting what he was feeling into words. He'd never been great at articulating himself, but right now it was even worse. He sighed, leaning forward until his forehead was resting on one of his knees before he spoke.

"I know that we're mated, but it's not like Gray had much of a choice in that. He loves me, and we're together, but asking him to actually marry me on top of everything almost feels like too much. Arrogance. Hubris, maybe. Like I'm tempting fate by not being grateful for what I already have. Fuck knows I don't deserve him. I mean, I'm an idiot. All I ever do is fuck things up. I feel like I'm gonna fuck this up too, somehow."

The blonde mage had never seen the guy look so worried and uncertain. Lucy walked over and tugged Natsu's head into her stomach, his messy hair long forgotten. The Dragonslayer's arms went around her back, and he hugged her tight, relaxing just slightly as she rubbed circles on his back. Gray was his mate, and the only one he would ever care about romantically, but Natsu loved Lucy like a sister and there was something comforting about those familiar arms holding him. The Dragonslayer sighed again, burying his face in her dress and causing his words to come out muffled through the fabric.

"Why would he even say yes? No one would have really known we were together outside of the guild if he had refused. I'm pushing my luck, asking this of him. I feel stupid." She ran her hands over Natsu's hair, petting him like a dog. He pretty much was sometimes, but he was _their_ dog. Loyal to a fault, protecting the guild even at great personal cost, always happy and exuberant. Lucy smiled, thinking that no one deserved to be happy more than Natsu, who had saved everyone time and time again. Their teammates. The guild. The world. If anyone had happily ever after owed to them by the powers that be, it was Natsu and Gray.

"Oh, Natsu, he said yes because it's you. It's not stupid to want to marry someone you love, who loves you back. You two can barely keep your hands off each other long enough to function in society. If anyone should be married it's you guys. Plus, Gray loves you just as much as you love him. It's obvious to anyone who sees you together that you care about each other. He's probably just as nervous as you are, worried about the same stupid things right now." Natsu sniffed, eyes stinging, and though he wasn't actually crying it felt like he was. 

"You think so?" It was a whisper, barely audible even though she was so close. Her hear was breaking for the Dragonslayer, strong enough to face any enemy yet helpless and defeated at the mere thought of Gray's rejection.

"I know so. Now get yourself together, it's almost time and you don't wanna look like a teary little bitch at your own wedding."

"Hey!" Natsu pulled back, slapping at Lucy's shoulder in irritation, but it had been what he needed to hear. He took a deep breath while the celestial wizard combed through his hair _again,_ and he looked more steady. As if on cue a knock sounded on the door, and from that heavy fist it was clear that it was Erza. Lucy moved to open the door to reveal the armor mage, shining in a dress made of finely wrought chain mail. Leave it to Titania to have a bridesmaid dress made out of metal and still look stunning. She was smiling, huge and overjoyed, easily as excited as Natsu was.

"Everyone's here, Gajeel and Levy are all ready, and everything's in place. We need Lucy and Gildarts to come wait with me and Lyon. Natsu, you can come too, but no peeking down there yet. You ready?" 

Natsu found himself bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet, fists opening and closing like he was getting ready to fight. His adrenaline was flowing, and his body didn't know the difference between this nervous excitement and preparing to light up his flames and go in swinging. To the dragon inside, it was all a battle, and Natsu was ready to jump in headfirst as always no matter the cost. He felt the smile on his face, huge and ridiculous and _brilliant._ He'd never been ready for anything like he was ready for this.

"Let's do this."

 

................................................................................

 

Gray was standing at the bottom of the staircase, listening to the restless whispering as everyone settled into their seats and waited for things to start. People were periodically glancing back at him, and if he had eaten anything that day he would've just thrown up _everywhere._ Gray had been nervous before as he waited in the dorms with the girls, who were all tittering and squealing, putting on their makeup and zipping their dresses with no regard for his presence whatsoever. If Natsu knew just how comfortable they all felt changing in front of him now that he was mated, they would probably have not been camera ready to say the least. Cana at least knew better, saying hello to Gray before she scampered downstairs to wait with the rest of the guests. The ice mage was not sure if it was out of fear for her safety, or if the card mage just wanted to stay on the Dragonslayer's good side in hopes of an encore one day. Any time Gray had mentioned his nerves it had earned him a heavy fist on his back from Erza, telling him to cheer up. That his 'day of glory was upon him'. After that was always something about cake, and the ice mage tuned her out. Then there was the momentary ache that twisted his chest when he'd thought of his parents, and teacher, and all the people who would not get to see him marry his mate. But then Igneel would not be here either, and Gray was sure that somehow they all knew how happy the pair was together. Neither could ask for someone stronger, or more loyal. There was no way anyone could care for them the way they cared for each other.

The ice mage stared at the symbol on his palm, running over the red symbol affectionately. Natsu was his mate. A literal dream come true, a ridiculous impossibility that Gray was sure would never happen, not in a hundred years, a hundred lifetimes. Nowhere in any of his wildest imaginings did he ever think that Natsu would be his someday. Now, looking at the red filligree in his hand, there was no denying it, not that he would want to. He didn't realize he was smiling at his palm like a fucking idiot until Lyon bumped deliberately into his shoulder on his way up the stairs. His brother shot a painfully fond grin at him, knowing full well what Gray had been doing and just so damn happy for his fellow ice mage that it couldn't help but show on his face. The dark haired wizard closed his fist around the mating mark, protecting in somehow as he smiled back at Lyon, who continued up the stairs to stand by Lucy.

Gray looked around the room, tables on the other side of the guild glittering with icy dragons breathing fire, blue and purple flowers fucking everywhere. Since he now had the nose of a Dragonslayer, he could see Natsu's point about the flowers. All he could smell were the damn things, pervading everything in the guild with their sweet spring scent. At least they were not a particularly strong smelling flower on their own, or Gray would have a headache for sure. Black cloths covered the tables underneath the centerpieces and floral arrangements, and there were swaths of fabric coiling around the banister and hanging from the ceiling. It really was beautiful without being excessively feminine. Levy and Lucy had done a good job without going to terribly crazy, all things considered. Sitting at the table that had been designated for Natsu and Gray was a bouquet of flowers made of ice, for the sole purpose of being thrown later to the girls so they could fight over it. Picturing Lucy and Erza and Levy, along with the other Fairy Tail girls and their allies like Juvia and Kagura, all gathered together to go after a bouquet.... Gray shivered at the thought. Freed must have thought the same thing, because he had insisted on putting up a rune circle in the dance floor where they would be for the throw. Otherwise, the whole guild would probably come crashing down.

The ice mage was starting to get just as restless as the crowd, wondering what exactly they were waiting for when he saw Levy head up to the front of the aisle, giving Gray a huge smile and nodding encouragingly. Now he watched as Gajeel moved over to where his amplifier was plugged in, slinging his guitar over his shoulder and tweaking the strings in preparation to play a modified wedding march on it. Who needed traditional music when they had an iron Dragonslayer with an electric guitar? He played a few chords to get everyone's attention, before launching into the start of his rock and roll intro. Everyone's eyes were locked on the staircase where Gray was, and the ice mage's stomach lurched violently as he turned to look at the landing above. _Fuck, this is it._ Soon, Natsu would come down those steps, and they would walk down the aisle together. _Don't lose it now. Deep breaths._ Gray hadn't even felt this anxious when he was about to perform Iced Shell. 

It was literally scarier than dying.

Gajeel's song began to change, mellowing out a little as Asuka bounded down the stairs, throwing copious amounts of flower petals as she went. She was laughing, skipping, delighted that she got to be a part of this. Everyone smiled, making affectionate noises at the little gun mage as she reached the front and ran up to stand beside Levy. Next Lucy and Lyon emerged and began to slowly and carefully descend, Loke shooting long looks at his celestial wizard. It seemed like it took an eternity for them to walk the few dozen feet to the altar. Gray hazarded a glance at the crowd, seeking out a certain water mage's blue hair to see how she was handling watching her boyfriend walk arm and arm with a 'love rival'. Instead of jealousy or anger, Juvia had a wide smile on her face and eyes full of tears. She wasn't even looking at the pair, instead looking straight at Gray, causing him to start in surprise. She bit her lip and raised her hand up, giving Gray a thumbs up as she wiped away wet streaks on her cheek. _Oh my God._ The ice mage had never thought he would be here, about to be Natsu's husband, but for Juvia to be in the crowd, smiling, genuinely happy for him? Gray was living in some alternate universe, a paradise where all his wishes came true. He couldn't look at her anymore, felt his eyes stinging the longer he held her gaze. Gray shifted his eyes over the crowd to see a dozen expressions identical to the water mage's, darting between the ice mage, the pair that was finally reaching their destination, and the top of the stairs where Erza and Gildarts were now climbing down towards the first floor. 

Gray closed his eyes, focusing on the sounds of Gajeel's guitar to distract himself from the gnawing feeling in his gut. When he opened them back up, the crash mage and Lucy had made it over halfway down the aisle, and the ice mage swallowed hard. Then his night blue gaze locked on the the landing above him, and when Natsu took that first step into view, glinting eyes seeking out Gray unfailingly, there was no air to breathe.

_Natsu._

He looked sexy as hell in his tux, but then he looked that way to the ice mage no matter what he was wearing. Or wasn't wearing. Then that mouth that Gray knew every inch of broke into a wide smile. A conquerer of worlds, with sights set on his ultimate prize. A hungry green stare ate the dark haired wizard up, and Natsu was consuming him as surely as he had ever consumed any flames. Just that one look, and he owned the ice mage, body and soul. All of Gray's nerves were gone, vanished into the air, a balloon with its string cut sailing towards the sky. There was no reason to be nervous. 

There was only Natsu.


	33. As Long As We Both Shall Live

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part Two
> 
> Tooth-rotting fluff ahead. Seriously, it's an issue. You're warned.

Natsu looked at Gray, and the crowd of people staring at the two of them vanished into nothingness. All there was in the entire world was the ice mage, looking up at him with a face that was enraptured. The Dragonslayer could not wait to get down there, and instead of walking down the stairs he leapt from the second floor to land next to his mate in a crouch before righting himself. He heard the laughs from their guests, but could not focus on anything but the mage before him. Natsu ate him up with his stare, and Gray was devouring him right back, eyes hungry for the fire wizard after being without him for a whole day. They stood there oblivious to the eyes on them as Natsu reached up to run his fingers over Gray's lips, eyes glittering with want. Somehow this perfect being in front of him was his mate, and now he would be his husband. It was impossible, and yet it was happening, and Natsu wanted to scream with all the joy that was filling him up inside. Wanted to drag him down the aisle right then, force the vows from his mouth so he could not change his mind. Instead he stood there, fingers on Gray's face, dark green stare locked with midnight blue.

"I missed you." The ice mage just nodded, stupid with emotion, unable to speak or move or think. "I really want to kiss you right now." Then Gray smiled, shaking his head.

"Soon. Just wait." Natsu rubbed his thumb across Gray's lip once more, rough with promise. His voice was soft, a whisper. It was as though they were alone in their room, the quiet of the night around them.

"Yeah. Okay." The sound of Gajeel's guitar broke through their daze, and then the Dragonslayer reached down and took Gray's hand, interlacing their fingers. The ice mage returned the gesture, squeezing Natsu's hand tight as the pair broke into obscene smiles and faced the altar, faced those gazes on them. "You ready, love?"

"For years. Let's go." 

Hand in hand, they walked down the aisle to the sound of their friend's applause and cheering, stopping in front of Levy with those idiotic grins on their faces. They'd already gone over everything with the script mage, and neither of them had the patience for all the 'we are gathered here today' nonsense. It was time to get married, and they'd fucked around long enough. They did not need fancy words or tired traditions, all they needed was what they felt for one another. It was strong enough to carry them through everything they had faced so far, and it would certainly carry them through this. Gajeel's guitar finally died down as Levy finally spoke up, a lacrima pinned to her dress carrying her voice out over the crowd. 

"We are here to cheer on our guild mates and friends as they get married. Gray and Natsu have saved our asses, as well as the world, more times than I can even remember. They deserve happiness more than anyone I know, and I'm truly happy they found each other this way. Since Natsu is possessive and impatient..." Laughs echoed out from the audience, knowing how true her statement was from experience. "They are already wearing their rings, but they have a few words of their own to speak before they say their vows."

Fuck. It had been Gray who wanted to come up with his own words, wanted to tell Natsu how he felt in his own way, but now his mouth was dry, and his mind was empty. The ice mage was supposed to go first, but the Dragonslayer saw the panic in his face.

"You want me to go instead?" His voice was so quiet, even Gray could barely hear it. He nodded imperceptibly, feeling the air go back into his lungs in a rush, relief singing through him. When Natsu started talking it wasn't loud enough to for anyone but those directly around them to hear, they weren't wearing lacrima like Levy. It didn't matter. His words were only for his mate, and he took both of Gray's hands in his, willing all that he was into him. "All my life I didn't really understand what love was. I knew my father's love, and the love for my guild mates, but to me that's all there was. You taught me that there was more. I was a fucking idiot, and you saved my life, saved me from myself, pushed me to be more than I was ever since I was a kid. You taught me that it's okay to depend on someone, that it doesn't make me weak to be stronger at your side. I love you, Gray. You're stuck with me forever now." Gray laughed, holding back the tears in his eyes by sheer force of will. He would never hear the end of it if he cried at his wedding, would be listening to Gajeel and Laxus give him shit for all eternity. Then he realized why he couldn't say the words earlier, why they had stuck in his throat. Gray had needed to hear Natsu speak his first because some part of him still didn't believe it could be true, still couldn't accept that the Dragonslayer was _his._ All the time he'd spent wrapped in his arms, buried in his touch, boneless under his mouth, and he there was still that small piece of his brain screaming, _'There's no way.'_ Now the ice mage realized how stupid he was, looking at Natsu there was no doubting what he felt. It was written all over his face, in the way he held Gray's hands, that barely restrained desire just waiting for them to finish their vows so he could take his mate's mouth. _That's right._ When they finished, Natsu would kiss him, and suddenly the words were pouring out of him like the wildfire he could now pull from his hands. Thanks to the Dragonslayer. He held those eyes like a lifeline, blocking out everything else, taking a deep breath.

"I think I was twelve when I realized I was in love with you. And then, man, I hated you for it. But it's not something I could fight, so I fought you harder instead. You made me fast, and you made me strong. You made me brave. You taught me to never give up, to always keep fighting, no matter what it cost me. So I did, and in the end instead of costing me something, I got what I wanted most in the whole world. I got you, and all because you told me I could, showed me that if my will was strong enough, I could do anything. I love you, Natsu. I always will." Natsu was blinking fast, biting his lip and trying to do the very same thing Gray had been earlier. Trying and failing, as he pawed at a stray tear with the back of his hand. _Holy shit._ The Dragonslayer was crying, and his dark haired mate could scarcely believe it. He reached up to wipe another one from Natsu's other cheek, voice going soft and affectionate. "Don't cry, Natsu."

"Shut up. I'm not." Gray smiled, letting his hand drop as he looked towards Levy, waiting for her to continue. She had tears streaming down her face, one of the few people close enough to actually hear what they had said to each other, and her voice was shaky when she started speaking.

"Do you Gray Fullbuster, take Natsu Dragneel to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?" He nodded, but much to his surprise he got the words past his lips.

"I do." This time a tear fell down his own cheek, but he did not wipe it away. Gray didn't want to let go of Natsu's hands, needed to hold onto him. Needed to know he was real.

"Do you Natsu Dragneel, take Gray Fullbuster to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"Hell yes I do!" That time he was loud enough to everyone to hear, and laughter erupted from their friends. Gray just smiled, feeling like an idiot as they both stood there with wet cheeks and hands trembling in each other's grasp.

"I now pronounce you husband and husband. Okay guys, you know what to do! Just kiss already!"

Natsu's eyes glinted with dark mischief, and before Gray knew what was happening that hot mouth was on his, hand fisting in his raven hair while the Dragonslayer's tongue delved between his lips. Applause rang loud through the guild, walls shaking with it as the photographer's camera flashed again and again. It surely had been all this time, but this is the first time Gray had noticed it. Then the fire mage pushed forward, hand reaching around the steady his mate while he leaned into him, bending Gray backwards until his leg was coming up off the ground. There were wolf whistles and cheers sounding out through the crowd as Natsu snatched up the ice mage's knee, pulling it up around his hip as he arched him even further over. Gray's hands were held tight to his mate's neck, tongue fighting a losing battle for dominance as Natsu just fucking _took him_ with his mouth for everyone to see. When he finally pulled back, moisture stretching between their lips as he stood Gray up, that smile was downright devious. When he spoke, it was not a voice, but a growl.

"Mine." Then he sank his teeth into the ice mage's neck, snatching him up off his feet and walking with deliberate steps towards the dorm Gray had gotten ready in while the dark haired wizard moaned underneath his mouth. When he finally got them inside and kicked the door shut, he released Gray's throat, rubbing his fingers possessively through the blood of the bite and wiping it over his mouth. The ice mage watched him with a shudder, eyes half lidded, pupils blown with desire.

"W-we can't fuck right now, Natsu. Not with everyone out there waiting for us." Gray was ready to fight the fire mage on this, but a small part of him would be glad if he lost. Natsu kissed him again, slow and deliberate, as though he'd never tasted that sweet mouth before and was committing it to memory for the first time. He still held the ice mage in his arms, and Gray made no move to be released. Just felt the familiar warmth of his skin, looked up into those eyes he knew so well, breathed in that spicy scent that was unique to his Natsu.

"I know that." Natsu smirked. " _Husband._ I want to wait 'till we get on our honeymoon. I just needed you alone for a minute. Need to look at you, and smell you, and feel you. Just for me and my eyes, not for anyone else. You're _mine,_ Gray." The dark haired wizard smiled, reaching up to tug Natsu's hair.

"I was already."

"More. Again. _Mine._ Mine for everyone to see." His eyes were glittering down at his mate, like he was made of gold. _Married to a dragon._ But now Gray was a dragon, too, with sharp teeth to claim his mate and a nose to scent what was his.

"You're mine, too. No one else can have you. Just me." Natsu growled at his words, tossing Gray onto the bed and falling down over him. He pinned his hands over his head, legs caging his mate in beneath him, mouth swallowing the ice mage whole. Gray moaned into it, forgetting for a moment where he was, and what they were doing, why he was supposed to be fighting Natsu instead of melting beneath him. _Fighting his husband._ Oh, yeah. Then the Dragonslayer surprised him by pulling back, though he ground his hips into his mate's with a groan. "We really need to go back out there, Natsu. We have a whole ten days of vacation, we can fuck all day and all night and have people bring us food and not even wear clothes until we come back if that's what you want to do."

"I think that's what you want to do." Gray smirked, flexing his wrists under Natsu's grasp, but the fire mage didn't release him.

"C'mon, we have a teleportation lacrima to take us where we're headed right? You can fuck me until I can't walk straight when we get there. For now let's go eat, and dance, and throw cake at each other. The girls will be so disappointed in us if we don't." Natsu shook his head, taking Gray's mouth again with a lingering kiss before speaking again.

"We can go out there and eat, and dance, and I _will_ be shoving cake into your face, you can be sure of it. But when we get to where we're going, and I get this sexy fucking tux off you..." 

Natsu leaned down to pour the words into Gray's ear, voice hot and sultry, full of dark promises. 

"You're gonna fuck _me_ until I can't walk, and I'm gonna scream your name while you take me."


	34. Wedded

Natsu had not been joking about shoving cake into Gray's face, and the ice mage was cursing his mate as he stood in the bathroom, washing icing out of his eyebrows over the sink. His mate, huh? _Friend. Lover. Mate. Husband._ Natsu was everything there was, everything there could be, and then some. Even as Gray muttered profanities at the pink haired mage, he was smiling into the mirror. Gray was pretty sure he'd gotten all the cake off his face, without getting any of his clothes somehow. Everyone had eaten, had cake, been drinking wine like it was water. It was Fairy Tail, after all. All that was left was the dancing and the bouquet toss before Gray and Natsu were free to escape this place, use their teleportation lacrima and head on their honeymoon. The Dragonslayer had repeatedly refused to tell Gray where they were going, only saying that it was two separate places and the ice mage would enjoy them both equally. When he tried to be sneaky and asked what he should pack, figuring maybe the clothes he needed would give it away, Natsu told him _'Nice try.'_ The fire mage had already packed their suitcases and sent them ahead to their destinations so they did not have to drag luggage around. It was thoughtful, and practical... and infuriating. Gray had not thought he was an overly curious or impatient person, but the suspense was fucking _killing him._ He'd even asked the girls, thinking maybe they knew, only to be greeted by blank stares and shrugged shoulders, which was even more perplexing. If they knew they would've giggled, made fun of Gray, teased him about it. Those empty looks let the ice mage know that Natsu had truly told no one, and he hadn't really thought the exuberant little dragon was capable of such restraint. The door to the bathroom slammed open, revealing a somewhat buzzed Dragonslayer taking in his husband with hungry eyes.

"Graaaaaaaay!" The ice mage walked over to Natsu, pulling him into a hug, lips so close he could almost taste them.

"Natsuuuuuuu!" The Dragonslayer smiled, not caring that his mate was taunting him, and then shoved his mouth roughly against the dark haired mage. Gray moaned into the kiss, maybe a little buzzed himself, hands sliding under the back of Natsu's jacket to feel hot skin underneath. It felt electric on his hands, and suddenly he was desperate to get those clothes off. Then the fire mage was pulling back, snatching his wrist, that devious glint in his eyes that made Gray shift instinctively.

"Ah ah, none of that quite yet, little spouse. The girls said to come and get you." Natsu was pulling Gray by his wrist, tugging the door back open and dragging him into the guild hall again. The ice mage was groaning, irritated to be denied that burning mouth, that delicious tanned flesh.

"Why?" 

" 'Cause it's time to fuckin' dance, bitch!" The Dragonslayer slapped Gray's ass hard, smacking sound resounding through the guild hall. The ice mage laughed, but shoved at his mate anyway, unwilling to let it slide even if he enjoyed it. Then Gray looked around, realizing that everyone was gathered in a circle with the makeshift dance floor in the center. All the lights were down except for a spotlight shining on the stage where Mira stood beside Lyra and Gajeel, who had an acoustic guitar instead of his normal electric. There was also a lacrima hanging above the floor, sending tiny pinpoints of twinkling light raining down on the pair. They'd been waiting on the ice mage, and now all eyes were on the pair as they made their way into the circle. Gray had not thought much about the dancing, but now he realized maybe he should have. He could dance just fine, Ur had taught him, along with Mira and Cana later on, but he was not sure if Natsu could. The ice mage had never seen him on a dance floor, and the more he considered it the more worried he became. What if Natsu was embarrassed? Then the Dragonslayer took Gray's left hand in his right, his other one snagging the ice mage's waist and pulling him close with a grin as the first notes began to roll through the air.

"I'm leading, snowflake." Natsu led them out on the floor, feet gliding effortlessly beneath them as they began to move in wide circles. Gray couldn't help but smile back, hearing Mira's crystal voice breaking through the soft sounds of the guitar and harp.

"Since when can you dance like this, Natsu?" The Dragonslayer smiled, tugging his mate impossibly close against his body as he led them with ease through the movements. 

"Since I made Lucy teach me last week, so I wouldn't make an ass out of myself in front of you." Gray felt his insides twist around inside him at the thought of Natsu stumbling around Lucy's apartment, stepping all over her toes, biting down on his irritation long enough to learn how to dance with his mate. He could picture the pleased look on the Dragonslayer's face when he finally had it down, that brilliant smile, white teeth shining. 

Everything fell away and there was no one else around, no guild full of onlookers, just the two of them pressed in tight against each other. Natsu was staring into Gray's eyes, and the ice mage never wanted to look away, wanted to spend the rest of his life drowning in them. _Mine._ This fire mage belonged to him, body and soul, every burning piece of him. Every smile, every laugh, every kiss, every touch. They were _Gray's._ Natsu's hand slid from his waist to the small of his back, fingers flexing there possessively, and Gray did not have to ask what he was thinking to know those thoughts mirrored his own. 

______

_________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Mira was still singing, but the words were lost, as they were lost in each other. The ice mage pressed his face into Natsu's neck, and even he would admit he was hiding. That smiling face looking down at him was so full of love, if he didn't pull his eyes away he knew he would lose it again. Their feet slowed, not really dancing now as people began to move out onto around them, pairing up with one another, joining them. Natsu's hands slipped around Gray's waist, as the ice mage reached up to interlock his fingers behind the Dragonslayer's neck. Natsu rubbed his cheek against that raven hair he loved to touch, breathing in his mate's scent, smile stuck on his face. They were in each other's arms in the middle of the guild hall surrounded by their friends, their family, and his ring was on Gray's finger, his mark on Gray's hand, his bite in Gray's neck. He couldn't take it anymore. The Dragonslayer reached up with one of his hands, lifting Gray's face from his throat and holding his gaze for long moments. They weren't even moving anymore, just standing there, surrounded by people yet all alone. 

_________"Thank you, Gray." His dark brows furrowed, mouth puckering just slightly in his confusion._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"For what?" Natsu rubbed his fingers over his mate's bottom lip, tugging it down slightly, pressing his thumb over those teeth before pulling it back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Being mine."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Gray didn't have time to respond, because Natsu was kissing him them. Slow, and soft, and easy, as though he needed to convince Gray that he belonged to him with this one touch, this single embrace. The Dragonslayer's eyes were closed, but he caught the flash of a camera through his lids, and he would've been angry at the distraction if he didn't want a copy of the picture so badly. He finally broke the kiss, only to hear his mate whine in disappointment, leaning forward to close the distance again. Natsu put his fingers across Gray's mouth, blocking it with a mischievous grin on face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Let's go make out in a booth while everyone dances. When the floor clears out we can throw that stupid ice bouquet at them and take off."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"The girls will be pissed." Natsu was shaking his head, throwing Gray over his shoulder and striding purposefully across the guild. His mate did not struggle, did not blush, did not protest. There was nowhere he wanted to besides where he was right then. Natsu weaved through their guild mates and allies, having to dodge a particularly drunk Makarov on the way there. As he closed in on one of the booths he had to make a detour, lest he toss Gray down on top of Sting, who had Rogue pressed into the corner of the one he'd been aiming for, drawing some sounds out of the shadow mage that even Natsu would admit were beautiful if they'd been pouring out of Gray instead. _Great minds and all._ Finally the Dragonslayer was setting his mate down on a seat, shoving him back into the wall and climbing over him. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"It's our wedding, we can do what we want. Everything's done now." Natsu leaned in close to Gray's ear, breath hot on the ice mage's skin when he spoke. "Except for you."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________The fire mage descended on his mate, burying his mouth against Gray's and only pulling back to breathe._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________........................................................_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________The pair wasn't sure how long they had been there, hidden away in the corner of their booth, when Lucy started calling their names. All Gray knew was that he was panting, desperate and wretched with desire. Natsu had teased him brutally, grinding against him as they made out like teenagers in the darkness. More than once the ice mage thought he would finish in his clothes, _wanted_ to, only to have the Dragonslayer pull back with a dark chuckle. His lips were swollen, his jaw sore, and when he tried to beg Natsu to make him come all that came out were whimpers. All they had done was kiss and run their hands over each other on top of their clothes, but Gray knew he looked just-fucked all the same when the blonde found them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Okay, okay, break it up. Let's throw this damn thing and get you two out here before we have to get the kids upstairs to protect their innocent eyes."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Gray took a moment to collect himself while Lucy gathered the girls up in Freed's protective rune circle. Once the girls went in, neither they not their magic could escape until one of them was victorious. Natsu retrieved their prize, looking between it and his mate with a cocky grin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"You throwing your bouquet, little bride?" Gray remembered Natsu's words from earlier, and though a shiver ran down his spine, he managed to get the words out._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"I thought you were going to be the bride tonight." The ice mage had wanted Natsu to blush, or look down, or bite that sexy lip of his. Instead his eyes lit up with fire, and he reached down to palm Gray's cock through his pants._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Oh, I fuckin' am. I'll throw this thing, princess, I don't care." Then it was Gray who had pink dancing over his cheeks, cursing himself even as heat rolled through him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Okay, ladies, we ready?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________There was a resounding 'Yes!' from the rune circle, which was full of Fairy Tail mages. Erza was there, requipped into her bandages and loose flame print pants. _Oh, shit._ The armor mage only wore those when she was seriously not fucking around. Lucy stood ready with her whip, along with Evergreen who had her wings out and was flitting around above the rest. Mirajane, Lisanna, and a couple of the girls from Mermaid Heel were there as well. Cana was nowhere to be seen, until they glanced over at the bar and saw her downing a bottle of wine. _Yeah, not seeing a lot of matrimony going on for her._ The princess of Fiore had indeed shown up, and looked as though she wanted to be in the circle as well, but she held back. Erza was there after all, and with Jellal lurking around somewhere in the guild, it was doubtful she would lose._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Okay! Reeeeeeeaaaddyyyyyy........ go!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Natsu flung the icy flowers into the circle, and all hell broke loose. Lucy brought her whip up, snatching the bouquet out of Evergreen's reach as she flew up to intercept it. As the leather arced back towards her, Miliana was there, snatching it out of the coil of leather and rolling onto the ground with it. Lisanna and Mirajane ended up wrestling with one another, trying to climb over the others towards the cat mage to no avail. Then Erza pounced on her, hand closing around the stems to jerk it away. The red head had it firmly in hand, and was about to hold it up in victory when the runes started to glow brightly. Suddenly the bouquet shot out of her grasp, soaring through the air, across the guild..._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________And into Freed's waiting fingers. He pulled it up to his face as though he was breathing in its scent, before he looked at Laxus and fucking _winked._ Shit, Freed was _drunk._ Natsu started cheering, and the rune mage bowed dramatically in the midst of the applause that was now ringing out. Gray glanced over to see the lightning Dragonslayer looking at his feet, blushing with a scowl on his face. _Laxus can blush?_ The ice mage had to laugh, but then the girls were grumbling, clearing the center of the guild around Natsu and Gray. Lucy approached with a lacrima in hand, handing it to the fire mage with a grin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Okay, boys. Both of you hold on, activate it with your magic. It takes three minutes to charge, and you can't let go." Natsu took it in his left hand, with Gray closing his right over it as they lit the crystal up with magic and watched it start to glow. Suddenly they were surrounded on all sides by their guild mates, who had buckets in their hands that had not been there before. Gray eyed them skeptically._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"What the hell is that?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Rice. You throw rice at newlyweds when they leave for their honeymoon." Gray rolled his eyes at the celestial wizard, putting a palm over his face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Isn't that supposed to symbolize fertility, you idiots? I don't think it's really going to help out."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"That's not the point, Gray!" Natsu was laughing now, at Lucy, at his mate, at everyone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Why do you need a dozen fucking buckets of it?" Gajeel was there, smirking, along with all the girls. Even Romeo and Wendy were there, fists buried in a tub of white._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Because it's you guys. You can't let go of your transport lacrima, don't forget!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Then suddenly it was a warzone and Gray and Natsu were buried in rice, handfuls of it flying at their faces as they held up their arms to block it, to no avail. Natsu threw up his fist, shooting out a small flame that was strong enough to blow the rice back at their attackers. The assault did not relent, white grains falling down on them in waves. Then Gray was laughing, and he and Natsu were turning in circles, throwing up fire and ice to block the incoming rain of white on them. They held tight to the lacrima in their fists, watching it strobe and flash. Gajeel knocked over a table, taking shelter behind it to shield himself from the frozen chunks Gray was shooting at him. Natsu saw him hiding, freezing the table solid until it exploded into icy debris that scattered across the guild. Then Loke was there, leaping from one tabletop to the next to dodge fireballs and stray rice, letting handfuls of the tiny grains fly at the pair. Some of the centerpieces were knocked into the floor, and more than one of the tablecloths had caught on fire. Some of Gray's ice attacks had landed behind the bar, shattering bottles and mugs into broken shards._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________The crystal started to vibrate in their hands, and it did not escape the notice of their guild mates. They lifted their buckets, ready to toss the entire things at Gray and Natsu at once. The pair covered their heads, laughter rolling through them as their allies threw what was left of their ammunition through the air._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Natsu and Gray flashed out of existence, rice falling uselessly to the ground where they had been._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________................................................................._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________The pair took form in the woods, and when Gray's eyes saw a fire roiling before them and the open stars above their heads, he felt irritation shoot through him. Camping? They were camping? Was he fucking serious? They literally had to sleep on the ground for almost every job they went on, and this was not Gray's idea of a honeymoon, _at all._ Then he noticed the stone tiles on the ground around the fire pit, spreading out around it in a circle to enclose a large area of the ground. There was a bed, a huge one, set directly on the stones and covered in lavish bedding. Gray felt himself smirking at the fact that it was covered in, no bullshit, fucking rose petals. In fact the whole surface of the tile was littered with them, red petals soft under their feet. Along the opposite side of the floored space was a shower, a drain underneath it. Spread out in various places were chairs, a couch, a table, a small fridge, along with a pile of lacrima glowing in a bowl on the table next to the bed. The ice mage had been silent for so long Natsu started to get nervous, worried he had fucked this up like he did everything else._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"There's.. ah, runes, to keep out dirt and bugs and weather. Even if it rains, it'll just slide off the barrier. We're pretty deep in the woods here, and we can see out, but no one can see in. We can go outside the runes if we want, but no one else can cross them. Those lacrima are communication crystals, and if we need anything someone will teleport it out to us from the other end." Natsu was rambling, and he knew it, but he couldn't make himself just _shut up._ The ice mage, on the other hand, was still silent, eyes eating up the scene before him. "Gray, fuck, say something. Do you hate it?" Gray reached out and shoved him, hard._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Shut up, Natsu. It's perfect." They could lay outside, lost in each other under the stars without being disturbed, everything they needed taken care of with little to no effort on their part. They could, as Gray had said, fuck each other until they couldn't walk anymore. Then he looked at the bed, remembering his mate's dark words. Natsu wanted Gray to take him, in a way he never had before, and the ice mage felt his face heat bright red. Suddenly the Dragonslayer was up in his face, arms tight around him, lips by his ear._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"I know what you're thinking. It's time you broke me in, snowflake."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	35. Instinct

Gray didn't respond to Natsu's words, so the fire mage took the opportunity to take his mate's mouth, eating up the moans that came out like they were all he needed to survive. The ice mage's arms went around his neck, and Natsu smirked at his mate before pulling back.

"So, you haven't been able to go into Dragon Force since the fight with Dorobo, right? Not on your own?" Gray blinked at Natsu, totally confused. What the fuck was he doing talking about Dragon Force? It was their honeymoon, his hands were on Gray's skin, hot and making the ice mage's heart beat too fast in his chest, and he wanted to discuss magic?

"No, Natsu. We tried a couple times, right? Guess I have to be in a fight to pull it off." The fire mage knew this, was there when Gray tried to bring out his inner dragon and failed. The ice mage had been disappointed in himself, and Natsu had seen fit to get him naked and 'make him forget all about it'. He blushed all over again at the memory, looking at his feet as the Dragonslayer pulled back from him.

Then Natsu's body lit up in flames and he punched Gray viciously in the chest, sending him flying out of the rune boundary and slamming into a tree. It did not really hurt, not after all they had been through, but the ice mage was furious as the Dragonslayer strode up to him, pausing a few feet away and sinking into a crouch.

"What the fuck, Natsu? You're an asshole." He picked himself up off the ground, dusting off and glaring at his _husband._

"I want you to be in Dragon Force when you fuck me, Gray. You look so damn sexy with those blue scales and your eyes all lit up. Once you get there, you can maintain it as long as you need to, especially if your not using magic. C'mon. Let me kick your ass a little and then you can have mine." The ice mage felt himself shoot hard in his clothes at those fiery eyes on him. Scales broke out on Natsu's face and arms as he pulled himself into Dragon Force before Gray's eyes. It was effortless, easy, and that pissed Gray off. But he couldn't really be too upset. _Fuck, it is really sexy._ Anytime the ice mage had seen the Dragonslayer go into Dragon Force, he'd been unable to tear his eyes away, desperately wanting the fire dragon for his own. Now, Natsu was _his_ and he wanted Gray to _take_ him. If he needed to get into Dragon Force to do so? Gray felt himself moving into a fighting stance, cold white smoke surrounding him as his eyes glinted with mischief. 

"Bring it on, you flaming bitch."

"Whatever you say, ice princess."

Then they were both moving, magic flying instinctively at one another only to feel it roll off uselessly. Their elemental magic did not work on each other, but they both found themselves inhaling, pulling the power into themselves to fuel their fight. Instead of making the other weak, they made each other strong. There was something so right about it, but at the moment Gray needed to feel the strain of battle. Otherwise he would never be able to get his inner dragon out. Gray was running straight towards his mate, fists wrapped in ice to make them heavier as they flew at Natsu's chest, his stomach, his face. The Dragonslayer was ducking, dodging, none of the shots landing on him as he threw his own punches at the ice mage. Natsu's movements were fluid, one merging with the next as he avoided a blow, tried to land a strike, rolled away from a kick. He was still burning, skin ablaze even if the fire was useless on his mate. It was instinctive. The Dragonslayer was in a fight, and his flames came out on their own. Now that Gray, too, was a dragon he had the same issue, a cloud of frozen blue white energy roiling, a snowstorm in the air surrounding his body. The fire mage glowing red with fire, Gray lit up blue with his ice, clashing, separating, coming back together. The ice mage realized he was smiling as he tried to take Natsu's legs out, failed, caught an elbow to the back of his head before he pushed back off the ground and found his feet again.

"Got you, little snowflake."

"Don't get too cocky, matchstick."

"I want _you_ to get cocky. That's the whole point." Gray rolled his eyes as he closed the distance between them again, trying to get a hold on Natsu's wrists but snatching at empty air.

"Your puns are not funny." The Dragonslayer caught one of Gray's feet as he threw a kick, flipping him up into the air. He landed on his feet, cutting divots into the earth as he tried to stop his backwards slide.

"You love it. You can't lie to me."

Gray did not respond, couldn't afford to as Natsu bore down on him with fists and fury. If the fire mage had been pulling punches before, he certainly wasn't now. Gray could feel the wind singing past his face with every blow he dodged, and when he caught the very edge of one of the Dragonslayer's knees it staggered him. They were supposed to be fucking yet here they were beating each others ass, and somehow Gray would not have it any other way. The fire in Natsu's eyes lit up brighter as he leapt into the air, spinning towards Gray, who was not sure if he was going to strike with his hands or his feet. He hesitated, and that moment where he stood frozen and unsure was all the Dragonslayer needed. Natsu landed on top of Gray, slapping his fists aside, knocking him into the earth and pinning him down. After being together all this time, the ice mage's body thought it knew what was happening when he was pressed beneath his mate, was ready to feel his burning mouth, his rough hands, his sharp teeth. Instead the fire mage threw a punch at his face that Gray wasn't ready for, and it spun his head as he lifted his arm up to block a moment too late. He thrust his legs underneath him, trying to turn them over, or get out from beneath the Dragonslayer, to no avail. While he was protecting his face and scrabbling against the earth with his feet, Natsu landed a fist in his guts, forcing the air from his lungs as he groaned. Gray caught Natsu's gaze, and when he saw the fire burning there he felt his own light up in response, felt those icy scales forming on his cheekbones, across his arms. A dark energy spread through him, and the dragon inside him looked up at his mate, starving and desirous. He clung to the feeling, willing himself to hold onto that power as Natsu broke out in a wide smile.

"There you go. So fucking sexy. Look at you, Gray. God damn." 

Gray kicked his legs up, jumping to his feet with Natsu still awkwardly on top of him. Before the fire mage could slide off to get his footing Gray's hands were gripping his thighs, pulling Natsu's feet around his back as he carried the Dragonslayer towards the bed and threw him down roughly. The fire mage was smirking as Gray lost his clothes in record time, and he started to get undressed only to have the ice mage slap his hands away with a growl. _Oh, shit._ What had he gotten himself into? Gray was jerking Natsu's pants off, boxers coming with them. He tossed them aside before he ripped Natsu's vest off, then uncoiled his scarf from around his neck. The ice mage did not throw it, but set it reverently down on the table beside the bed. The Dragonslayer opened his mouth to speak, only to lose the words when Gray snatched his wrists and pinned them above his head, an expression Natsu had never seen crossing his face. _Predatory._ Gray's dragon was out, and it was hungry. Something deep inside Natsu shivered as those sharp canines glinted in his mate's mouth. The Dragonslayer was blushing, and it felt wrong on his face somehow, but his ice mage was smiling above him. The smile of a dragon, something feral and unyielding. When Gray opened his mouth to speak, Natsu couldn't tear his eyes away. It was not a voice, but a growl.

"Mine." 

_Oh, fuck._ Nastu _whined,_ and he did not give a single shit, was not embarrassed, was not ashamed. There was nothing left inside him to complain, only lust rising in his veins, making him throb, cock hard and leaking against Gray's own. Then Gray's mouth was on his, and there was no air to breathe as hit mate swallowed him whole. _Taken._ The fire mage was moaning into the kiss, feeling the ice mage's hands biting unmercifully into his wrists as he writhed beneath him. He felt helpless, and before he could stop himself he was rutting up into his mate, desperately seeking friction. Gray rearranged his grip on Natsu's wrists, holding them both with one of his hands as he trailed his other down. When he took both of their lengths in his grasp and started to stroke them together, Natsu's legs went around Gray's waist, thrusting into his mate's hold without restraint. The Dragonslayer was overwhelmed, his mate everywhere at once. The ice mage pulled back with a wry grin, looking down at Natsu like he was endlessly entertaining.

"Eager are we, little dragon?" The Dragonslayer could not answer, throat tight, mouth dry. Instead he nodded, and Gray chuckled darkly as his eyes burned even brighter. If going into Dragon Force turned Gray into this dominant, cocky beast that Natsu saw before him... They were going to be doing a lot more fighting in the future. The ice mage was kissing his way down Natsu's jaw, and he released his wrists as he found the fire mage's throat and began licking it, teasing up bruises before he buried his teeth in deep. Natsu wanted that sharp mouth in his skin, wanted to be covered in his dragon's marks.

"Oh, fuck, Gray..."

Natsu's hands were buried in Gray's blue black hair, clinging to him and shoving his neck into that sweet bite. The ice mage's hand was still flying along their shafts, pausing to rub at the tips with his palms, reaching down to cup his mate's sack before returning to his relentless stroking. The Dragonslayer felt on edge, and he did not even realize he was about to finish until his spine arched up into his mate and his vision went white. He made a breathy noise as his muscles tensed, hot jets of seed shooting out over his stomach while his mate laved sensually at the blood leaking from his throat. Drinking in all he was, their blood singing together inside him. Gray pressed his mouth against Natsu's ear, words hot and full of promise.

"See, now I get to break _you_ into pieces over and over."

Natsu shuddered, and his eyes were locked on the ice mage as he kissed his way down the fire mage's body and licked up his seed, meeting Natsu's gaze as he did so. Gray was drinking in Natsu's moans, licking up Natsu's blood, swallowing down Natsu's come. Consuming the fire mage whole. That blue fire burning in his stare as his tongue worked itself hungrily over the Dragonslayer's flesh.... A wanton sound poured out of Natsu's throat unbidden. This was not at all like he had expected it to be. He thought he would still be in some sort of control, Gray blushing and awkward, having to work up the courage to take his mate. Now Natsu was helpless and shaking, at the mercy of a dragon, trembling under his touch in a way he never had before. This... this was _better._ He did not notice when Gray retrieved a bottle of lube from the bedside table, but heard him chuckle as he read the label and opened it.

" 'Dragonfruit'. " Now Gray was spreading Natsu's thighs wide, and the fire mage didn't know what to do with his hands, settled for fisting them in the sheets by his head as he'd seen his mate do so many times before. The Dragonslayer had always wondered why, exactly, Gray did that, but now he understood. He looked down at Gray, blue scales shining in the light from the fire, gaze fierce and full of want as he met the fire mage's eyes. "Now, be a good dragon and moan for me." Natsu bit his lip, intending to do no such thing. Until Gray eased two of his fingers in at once, and a debauched sound poured out of his mouth against his will. "Yes, just like that. Make pretty sounds for me, Natsu." The Dragonslayer had never felt anything like this, hadn't really expected to enjoy it. Certainly didn't think he'd be panting and mewling under Gray's touch, cock shooting hard again as his mate's fingers delved deeper inside.

"G-Gray..." His ice mage's mouth was too busy to reply, licking at his skin, taking a nipple in between his lips and sucking, nipping, biting. Leaving imprints of his teeth across the Dragonslayer's chest. Natsu tightened his hold on the bedding, as though the fabric would keep him grounded in the midst of such exquisite sensation. Those digits scissored within him, and he knew what Gray was searching for as he twisted and curled them. Had found it within his mate, time and time again, yet never felt Gray's touch on his own. When he finally brushed against that tight bundle of nerves, he slammed his hips down into the ice mage's touch, growling in ecstasy. "Fffuck, right there.. f-feels so good..." He released his hold on Natsu's nipple to respond, sounding pleased with himself, laughter in his voice.

"I know it does." Gray curled his fingers against it again and again, making his mate twist and quake.

"Nnngghh..." The ice mage had heard Natsu growl in ecstasy, heard him grunt and groan and curse under the weight of his desire as he pounded into him. Never had the Dragonslayer made sounds like these, and Gray found he was starved for them. The little whimpers coming from his throat, gasping and keening and full of need.... the ice mage could listen to it all night. If he wasn't so desperate to be inside him, that is. He assaulted his mate's prostate, toying with it, moving inside him, wanting to watch him erupt once more before he felt that tight heat wrapped around him. Gray was not sure how Natsu managed to do this so often, wring climax after climax from him while ignoring his own aching arousal. He felt like his cock would explode as he watched the fire mage writhe and pant, fingers now clutching at Gray's hair viciously.

"Haaahh.. Gray, shit...." The ice mage smiled at the sound of Natsu's voice, higher than normal, dancing on the edge of his orgasm. He leaned up to whisper into the fire mage's ear, fingers still curled within him, his other hand wrapping around Natsu's cock and squeezing.

"Come for me, Natsu."

"Hnnnn...." Natsu obeyed, hands tugging at Gray's dark strands painfully, hips thrusting up and down, shoving forward into his fist and slamming back down to impale himself deeper while his mate milked him dry. When he finally stilled, Gray's mouth was still at his ear, and ran his tongue over the shell before speaking into it again.

"Good boy."

Gray was shoving his mate's thighs wide, pushing his knees out and lining himself up with a growl. He rubbed his crown over Natsu's entrance, pouring more lube over himself and discarding the bottle. Then he looked up to meet those fiery eyes, questioning. The Dragonslayer nodded fiercely, everything within him screaming _yes, yes, yes._ Gray leaned forward, licking across the red scales on his mate's face as he slowly slid into Natsu. The fire mage whined at the sensation, arms circling Gray's neck and clutching tight as the ice mage inched inside. When he was fully seated he went totally still, forehead resting against his mate's as he panted with the effort it took not to pound brutally into Natsu's flesh. _Fuck._ Gray hadn't expected it to feel much different than a handjob, flesh wrapped around him, maybe a little tighter, wetter. God, he was wrong. Natsu was swallowing him, pressing him from all sides, hotter than was possible. He felt it in his cock, but also in his gut, shooting up his spine, closing up his throat. Everything he was, surrounded by his mate. When Gray pulled back to look at Natsu's face, all he could do was stare. Dark eyes wet and shining with lust, cheeks flushed and pink. Mouth open, gasping, panting before those sharp teeth bit down on his lip. 

"Shit, you're beautiful, Natsu." Those cheeks shot brighter, and he covered his face with his arm. _Oh my God, Natsu is hiding from me._ It was fucking adorable, but Gray didn't want to tell him so yet. Maybe when they were finished, before Natsu took him. _Make him nice and angry..._ His mate's voice sounded out, small and unrecognizable. 

"Shut up." Gray pried his arm back, forcing the Dragonslayer to look into his eyes.

"So pretty. I love you, Natsu." The fire mage blinked a few times, pulling his mate down towards his mouth.

"I love you too, Gray. Y-you can move, I'm fine."

Their lips connected, releasing a floodgate as they did so. Gray knew he should try to be gentle, try not to hurt Natsu, but he had no control as he began savaging his mate. Mouths sloppy and sliding against one another, tongues twining together, hands clawing and clutching and needy. Gray knew he would not last long, not after watching his mate shake and moan and beg without words. There were wanton noises pouring between them, neither one sure who was making them. It did not matter. The moment stretched on forever, Gray thrusting into Natsu viciously, bed shaking and straining under his assault. The fire mage was spent, but it still felt so good, Gray moving in and out, pounding him.... _taking_ him. He felt owned by the ice mage in new ways. Claimed, just as he had once claimed Gray for the first time. He kept waiting for the raven haired mage to pull back from the kiss, but he did not. Their lips stayed locked together, even as his movements became erratic, jerking, uncertain. Gray began to whimper into Natsu's mouth as the Dragonslayer felt his muscles tensing under his hands. He clutched tighter at the ice mage, legs tightening around his back, using his hips to meet Gray thrust for thrust. Finally he threw his head back, screaming out Natsu's name as he shot deep into his mate.

"Natsu!"

He moved mindlessly, body trembling, thrusting one last time before he collapsed on top of the Dragonslayer in a wretched heap. Gray's vision spun with stars, ears ringing, breath like acid in his lungs. He had never come so hard in his life, and the Dragonslayer had made him come many, many times. Natsu was laying the ice mage onto his side, pulling his hips back, easing his mate out of him. He brushed blue black strands out of Gray's eyes, ran his finger over the shining scales on his face as they faded into nothingness. His own had vanished as soon as Gray came, disappearing on their own as though they knew it was time to rest. When that night blue stare blinked open, they were both smiling at each other like idiots. Then Gray started blushing, the instincts inside him sleeping as he remembered what he had done, the things he had said, the way he had acted. Like a different person. A beast, an animal. _A dragon._ Oh, God. Natsu laughed at the expression on his face, running his fingers over Gray's lips with a grin.

"You look horrified."

"I-I... I don't know what happened. I mean I do, but..."

"Your dragon came out. It's okay. You're really sexy like that, Gray. I mean, you are anyway, but I've never seen you that way." Suddenly Gray looked worried, eyes darting over Natsu's body, hands coming up to touch his cheeks.

"Did I hurt you?" Natsu just smirked, laying his head on the ice mage's chest and hugging him tight.

"Gray, you've broken half a dozen of my bones. You ruptured one of my lungs. Shit, you almost disemboweled me once. Your cock in my ass is not going to do any serious damage, okay?" Gray threaded his fingers through those bright pink locks, tugging the blankets up over them. They both stared up at the stars above, night sky spread out just for them. Infinite and perfect.

"I guess you have a point."

"I always do." He pressed a soft kiss to Gray's chest, rubbing the spot with his fingers when he pulled back. "When we wake up, I'm going to take you slow. Make you beg and plead. There will be tears in your eyes when you come, and you'll thank me when it's over."

Gray shivered, and it was not because he was cold. He closed his eyes and breathed in his mate's scent, warm and familiar.

He could not wait until morning.


	36. Beg

The sun had just barely started to light up the sky when Gray awoke, the familiar feeling of ice on his skin pulling him from sleep. They had rinsed off before going to sleep the night before, and since it had been so late when they got to their outdoor honeymoon suite, Gray had assumed Natsu would sleep half the day away.

Gray had been _wrong._

He blinked his eyes open to see the Dragonslayer straddling him, and for a brief moment with slumber still clinging to him, everything felt totally surreal. Was he really with _Natsu_? Had they really been mated? Gotten married? Had Gray really felt those warm hands all over his skin, that mouth on his lips.... that tight heat wrapped around him? It felt impossible, the last few weeks nothing but a wonderful fever dream, giving him what he wanted most in the whole word. But that weight on his hips was real, those predatory eyes looking down at him with hunger, and when he tried to bring his hands down from above his head he realized he could not. They were iced there, frozen into the headboard with cold magic. Gray instinctively started to try and melt it, before he felt it growing colder, thicker, stronger. Natsu just smiled, pumping more ice into the restraints, blue white air flowing from his fingertips. He looked so fucking sexy using ice magic, Gray couldn't find his protests for a moment. Wasn't sure he wanted to, anyway.

Liked where this was going. Found himself smiling right back at the fire mage.

"Good morning, Natsu." The Dragonslayer licked his lips, pulling the bottom one between his teeth as he ran his hands down Gray's chest. The ice mage shuddered under his hands, hips rocking up into his mate just slightly.

"Good morning, husband." Gray smirked.

"You really like that, eh?" Natsu's hot fingers trailed down and wrapped around Gray's shaft and that smirk fell off his face, making the ice mage exhale roughly and thrust into his grasp. No matter how much the fire mage touched him, he never got used it. Each caress, each kiss, each bite felt like it was the first time, and Gray did not mind.

"Yes. I do. Really, really like it that you are mine in yet another way." Natsu did not move his hand, just held it wrapped around Gray's cock and watched with burning eyes as his mate fucked it shamelessly.

"Y-you know, I w-wanted you first, N-Natsu...." The fire mage just smiled wider, easing his other hand down to lift up one of Gray's knees and then sliding it slowly down the inside of his thigh.

"Yeah. But I wanted you _better._ " Now he was kneading Gray's ass, switching between one side and the other, fingers massaging the skin there roughly. The ice mage bent his other knee, spread his legs wider. Eager. Just the way Natsu liked him.

"What does that e-even mean...." 

He ended his question with a groan. Natsu didn't answer him, and Gray didn't even care. The Dragonslayer tightened his hand around his mate's arousal, running his hand over the skin around Gray's entrance but not touching it. He leaned forward, sucking one of those pink nipples into his mouth and felt the way Gray's hips were working underneath him, trying to gain friction on his cock, trying to shove his ass down into his mate's touch. The fire mage swirled his tongue around his prize, pulling it deep into his mouth, making wet noises around it. 

"Hnnnggh..."

Natsu heard the wood of the headboard protesting as Gray pulled against his bonds unconsciously, hands opening and closing where they stuck out the ice. He switched to the other side of his mate's chest, sinking his teeth into that one, mouth merciless on pale skin. The ice mage's breath was coming quicker, shaft throbbing in Natsu's grip as he increased his pace, legitimately trying to make himself come now. Pearly fluid was leaking from his crown, making his mate's hand slick and perfect as he drove himself faster. Natsu leaned back to watch, and it was a sight to behold. Gray biting his lip, brows furrowed, muscles tensing and flexing as he arched those hips, length sliding in and out of his fist. He pulled his other hand up to twist one of his mate's nipples hard, eliciting a beautiful moan from him.

"Haaaah, N-natsu...."

Gray was flushed, and gasping, and so fucking pretty with the light of dawn playing out over him. His stomach muscles started to go tight, thrusts becoming erratic and short, and Natsu knew he was about to come. Released his fist, pulled his hands away from the ice mage with a devilish grin.

"Natsuuuu...." His voice was a needy whine, raw with desire. "I was close...."

"I know. That's why I stopped." The Dragonslayer leaned down to whisper in his mate's ear. "I said I would make you beg. Do you want me to be a liar? I _hate_ liars."

Natsu trailed hot kisses down his mate's body, his throat, his collarbones, his chest. Licked a circle around his bellybutton, smirking when the ice mage giggled and jerked away. Bit down on his hip bones, looking up to meet that night blue stare as he did so. He held Gray's gaze as he eased his mouth down, closer and closer to his cock. The Dragonslayer didn't touch it, just pressed the ice mage's legs open wide and started planting kisses on the insides of that milky flesh, so close to where his love wanted him to be. Slid his tongue down to the junction of those thighs, licking up the crease of one, then the other. Blew hot breath over Gray's wet length, keeping his eyes on the ice mage's the entire time. He watched as they heated, reveled in the way that perfect mouth fell open, gasping out air in broken pants.

"N-Natsu, please, touch me." The Dragonslayer ran his cheek back and forth over the inside of Gray's thigh, using his hands to squeeze both sides of the dark haired mage's ass, smiling up at him.

"I am touching you." Gray rutted up towards Natsu's mouth, hands pulling on that ice again, feet seeking purchase against the sheets.

"You know what I mean, you fucker. Suck me, touch my cock, _something,_ shit. _Please._ " The fire mage looked so fucking happy, Gray couldn't even manage to be as irritated as he wanted to be. Love made him weak to those smiles.

"Well, you did say please....."

Natsu licked a hot stripe up Gray's cock from root to tip, making the ice mage's eyes wrench shut. He circled his tongue over the head before taking deep into mouth, felt his own eyes roll up into his head at the feel of it pressing against the back of his throat. His mate whimpered, hips snapping up, driving himself further into Natsu's throat as he writhed underneath him.

"Fuck, yes, please...." The Dragonslayer pulled back to sleep, stroking Gray's cock as he did so, reaching down to circle his fingers around the ice mage's needy hole.

"Fuck my mouth, Gray."

"Oh, God."

Gray was eager to comply, barely waiting for those lips to close around him before he was thrusting viciously into that wet heat, moisture leaking out of Natsu's mouth to drip onto his skin. When one of the fire mage's long fingers eased into him he impaled himself on it, burying his cock in Natsu's throat before pulling back to slam his mate deeper into him. The Dragonslayer slid another digit in, scissoring them as his mate fucked his face without mercy. Then Gray was arching, clenching his jaw, so close to his climax that Natsu saw his sack twitching.

The fire mage pulled out his fingers, released that throbbing length from his mouth. Listened to his mate make a desperate noise, watched with a smile as he wrapped his legs around Natsu's shoulders and tried to force him back down.

"Natsu, _please._ M-make me come. F-finish me."

He did not. Natsu used his mouth and his fingers to torture his mate with pleasure, brought him to the edge of climax over and over. Until all his muscles were quivering and shaking with need. Until his thighs were loose and limp at his sides. There was a high pitched whine that accompanied his every breath, and the words tumbled out unceasingly. Natsu wasn't even sure Gray was aware what he was saying anymore, incoherent begging and harsh profanities. _Fuck, please, make me come, fuck me, God, Natsu, please, please, shit, no more, I need it...._ It was the only thing the Dragonslayer wanted to listen to, that sweet voice pleading with him. _Ravenous perfection._ Natsu couldn't turn away. It felt sacred, looking at the mess he had made of his mate. _So beautiful._

Gray's eyes were shining with unshed tears when Natsu finally climbed up his body, lining himself up with his ice mage's entrance and sliding inside. Gray's whole body quaked and shuddered, and when he looked at up at his mate there was so much love in his gaze that Natsu's heart stuttered in his chest. Not for the first time.

" _Thank you._ " The Dragonslayer couldn't find any regret inside him for teasing his mate until he was nearly broken.

Wanted to spend the rest of his life breaking Gray into these beautiful pieces and then putting him back together.

He leaned down a took the ice mage's mouth, sweetly, gently. Brushed Gray's sweaty locks out his face as he buried himself to the hilt.

"Anything for you, love."

"Then _move._ "

Natsu nodded into the hot skin of his mate's shoulder as he began to obey, slowly at first until he saw Gray's nails digging into his own palms impatiently. Then he was growling, fucking him viciously into the bed, listening to those wanton sounds. It was only a few moments of thrusting before Natsu felt Gray's body shoot tight. He bit back the sounds Natsu knew wanted to come out, tried to hide the whimper on his tongue. Afraid Natsu would not let him come, most likely. So the Dragonslayer took his shaft in hand and started to stroke it in time with his movements. An absolutely filthy noise eased out of Gray's throat as he climaxed, seed arcing out of him to land on his chest, slick against their skin as Natsu pounded away. The ice mage went completely limp underneath him, and even while he savaged him Natsu melted the ice holding his wrists. Those arms wrapped around him, pulling him close even as they shook with weariness.

"I love you, Natsu."

Natsu couldn't answer with words. Was too caught up in the feel of Gray holding him tight, with his arms, with that ring of perfect flesh. The Dragonslayer bit down into the ice mage's throat in response, hips stuttering as he felt his orgasm climbing up his spine. Natsu buried himself in deep, coming into his mate with jerks and moans for what felt like forever. He didn't pull out, just collapsed onto Gray's chest with a sigh. When the ice mage's hands started threading through his hair he smiled, arms going tight around his mate's sides.

"Is there a river or a pond near here?" Natsu felt himself frowning at Gray's words.

"Yeah. Why?" Those hands kept moving through his pink locks, affectionate and easy.

"Let's go fishing tomorrow. You haven't been in weeks. All we've done is fight and fuck. Don't get me wrong, I like fighting, and I really like fucking. But I want to do everything with you. So let's go fishing tomorrow. Maybe we can swim, too."

"Can we fuck in the water? Cause I really want to do that." Gray was laughing, placing a kiss on Natsu's hair and shaking his head.

"Yes, Natsu. We can fuck in the water."

Natsu smiled, rubbing his face back and forth into Gray's skin.

Maybe fishing sounded good after all.


	37. Mine

Breakfast was delivered an hour or so later through magical means, appearing in a glass box that had a lacrima inside it, along with a small stack of newspapers and magazines. Natsu frowned at it, but after he sniffed the plates he deemed it edible. Gray wondered at how they knew exactly what the two ate, only to have the fire mage confess that he'd picked out their menus when he booked the room. As Natsu set their food down at the small round table nearby the ice mage picked up one of the magazines only to stop short when he saw the two of them on the front. It was Sorcerer's Weekly, a special edition full of nothing but them, apparently. He felt a flush paint his cheeks as he looked at the photo they had chosen for the cover. Gray had expected it to be a picture of them kissing after saying their vows, or maybe their first dance, but that wasn't what they had gone with. Instead they used a picture from their earlier photo shoot. In it, Gray was standing in front of Natsu with his white jacket open. One of the Dragonslayers arms was wrapped around him with his left hand pressed flat against that pale muscled stomach, fingertips just barely edging underneath the waistband of Gray's pants. The ice mage's hand was on top of Natsu's, both of their wedding bands showing, fire and ice swirling next to one another. As though that wasn't suggestive enough, Natsu's mouth was opened on his throat, teeth poised over a vicious bite mark already etched into the skin there, those green eyes staring straight at the camera and dancing with fire.

Just looking at it made Gray shoot hard in his boxers, and he was irrationally jealous for a moment that people all over Fiore were looking at Natsu's picture, that deviously sexy face staring back at them. Then the fire mage spoke from over his shoulder, voice a growl.

"I should have known better than to let them take such a sexy fucking picture of you. Now there's fangirls all over Magnolia drooling, hanging this damn picture on their walls. Fanboys too, especially now. Shit." Natsu wrapped his arms around Gray's waist and sank his teeth into the ice mage's neck, leaving yet another set of bite marks there. He pulled back, and Gray groaned, felt hot breath on his throat as the fire mage hissed out, " _Mine._ " 

All he could do was nod. For a moment he wondered if they would actually get around to eating breakfast, but Natsu finally eased away and sat down, Gray following suit. They inhaled their food, which the ice mage had originally thought was far too much, but realized he was wrong when his empty plate stared back at him. His appetite had dramatically increased since he'd turned into a Dragonslayer, and Natsu was constantly reminding him that he needed to eat more. After they replaced their dishes in the box they'd arrived in, Natsu was rifling around in a large chest and pulling out two fishing poles and a tackle box. He held them out towards Gray, a question in his eyes.

"Still want to go fishing?" He looked so hopeful that it was adorable, but the ice mage didn't say anything. Just nodded and snagged a blanket for them to sit on, following Natsu down wooded paths until they reached a large pond surrounded by trees. It was fed by a creek, which snaked off in either direction, the sound of running water strangely soothing as the Dragonslayer got their poles ready. They both cast off, then Gray spread their blanket out nearby in front of a tree. Natsu sat down and leaned against the bark, tugging the ice mage between his knees and pulling Gray into his chest. He felt hot fingers threading through his hair and relaxed into the touch, the sunlight filtering down through the trees, branches swaying in the breeze making the shadows dance around them. It was incredibly peaceful, and Gray understood now why Natsu liked to do this. Just bask in nothingness, nature all around him, idly watching his line as more of an excuse to be still than any need to catch something. For someone like the fire mage who was all fire and energy, stillness without purpose was something he had only recently found in Gray. After awhile Gray broke the silence, voice low,

"I guess we can't swim until we're done." Natsu shook his head, and the ice mage felt the movement behind him.

"Nah. We'd scare the fish away. Normal people swimming would scare them away, but they can sense me even more somehow. That I'm... a predator, I guess. If I get into the water, there won't be any fish for miles. You too now, I guess." Gray hummed in response, closing his eyes as he leaned further into Natsu.

"After we catch enough for dinner we can get in."

They let the quiet soak into them, Natsu stroking Gray's hair while the ice mage drifted in and out of sleep. Gray wasn't sure how much time had passed when Natsu cocked his head, listening to something too faint for his own unpracticed ears. Then he heard it too, male voices drawing closer from upstream, speaking loud and brashly.

"Why would they come here? I think your mom is full of shit. Two of the most famous wizards in Fiore wouldn't be staying at your family's place for their honeymoon. They'd be in some fancy hotel somewhere, or a private island or some shit." Natsu and Gray grinned at each other as they realized what they were talking about.

"She says they're in the outdoor suite. Why would she lie? She even told me not to come out here, like she knew what we would do. Said I'd be doing kitchen work if I bothered the 'newlyweds'." They were getting louder now, close enough that even someone without a dragon's hearing could make out the sounds.

"So why are we here, then? I thought you couldn't even see into the room because of the runes. You're gonna stare at a mirror image of yourself? Knock on a wall of magic like a dumbass and see if they answer?" A smacking sound echoed out now, one of them hitting the other.

"Come on! Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster come out to the whole fucking world, get married, might be staying right here at my families inn and you don't want to see if you can meet them? Fuck, I feel like I need to thank them." The pair broke through the trees, two kids a little younger than Natsu and Gray, maybe fifteen or sixteen. Both brunettes, one closer to black, the other on the edge of blonde. They did not notice the pair sitting there, were looking at their feet as they picked their way through brush. Natsu called out to them.

"Thank us for what?" Both of the boys jolted, the one closer to the pond loosing his footing and falling, about to land in the water. Gray threw out some ice instinctively, catching him before he took an unintentional swim. The kid righted himself, eyes like saucers as he took in the ice underneath him. He made his way back to solid ground and they both just stared at the Dragonslayers. Finally Natsu asked again. "Thank us for what?" They gaped for a few minutes, still not believing their eyes, before the lighter brunette got his shit together.

"Oh my God, it's really you! Ah... thank you for having the balls to come out publicly. It's hard enough being... being gay, or bi, or anything different, especially if you're a mage. Some people don't want to hire you, or spew a bunch of hate speech when they find out." The kid blushed, looking at his feet now. "You just made it a lot easier for people like us. Made it more acceptable. If two of the most powerful guys around can get married and tell everyone without being ashamed.... I don't know, it just gives me hope. Maybe we can be ourselves, and still be successful. Maybe we don't have to hide who we are." The other kid smacked him in the head.

"Also, _sorry for interrupting your fucking honeymoon,_ maybe? Fuck, you're so stupid."

"I'm sorry for being a little excited! The fucking Salamander of Fairy Tail is gay, sue me, you ass!" They were shoving each other now, and Gray interrupted before they devolved into an actual fistfight.

"So, are you brothers or something?" The two pulled their hands from each other's throats, blushing, and one of them interlaced their fingers together.

"N-no, definitely not." Natsu smirked, realizing that these two were together, tried to hold back his laughter at them. Ready to start fighting each other, then holding hands and flushing. It was like looking into a mirror.

"Maybe I'm an asshole, but I wasn't really trying to promote gay rights, or anything. I just wanted everyone to know that Gray is mine." He tightened his arms around the ice mage, and he knew Gray was rolling his eyes even if he couldn't see it. "But hey, if it helps someone out, that's even better. If someone ever wants to be a jerk because of who you love, you tell them to fuck off for me, okay?"

The boys, who they found out were Rin and Kyo, asked the two to sign a copy of Sorcerer's Weekly they'd brought, and the four of them sat together and talked for awhile. They were animated and excited, asking questions about the different enemies Natsu and Gray had fought and how they'd gotten together. Those two sets of eyes were enraptured while the fire mage recounted their story, and Gray wanted to laugh. It sounded like some epic fucking romance, when really they were both half dead the entire time, hurting and scared, trying to save each other. Trying to save the world.

But it sounded nice the way Natsu told it, and Gray found himself smiling. 

Finally Rin, the darker haired of the two, was dragging his boyfriend to his feet and pulling Kyo back towards the main building of the inn, insisting on giving Natsu and Gray some privacy. He eventually stood to go with his boyfriend, before turning around and rushing back towards the two mages.

"Hey, you should come to the bar at the inn tonight at nine! We won't mention you're coming so you don't get mobbed or something. Six or seven of our friends are coming to celebrate!" Gray glanced warily at Natsu, but he had to ask.

"Celebrate what?" He looked at the ice mage like it should be obvious.

"That it's okay to be a gay wizard in Fiore now! People everywhere are throwing parties tonight! We're all underage, so unless Rin's brother comes none of us will be drinking, but they do have booze if you guys want. Please, it would be so great! Will you come?"

"Kyo, they just got married, they have better things to do than-" Natsu cut him off with a grin.

"We'll be there. Wouldn't miss it." The kid smiled wide, shouting out his thanks as he ran off, the other boy trailing behind him muttering under his breath. Gray glanced over at Natsu with a wry expression.

"So, we're gonna go hang out with a bunch of kids who are literal gay fanboys. Marriage has made you soft, Natsu." The Dragonslayer just shrugged, unabashed.

"There only four years younger than we are, that's not really a 'kid'. But he was so damn happy to meet us, I couldn't say no."

They decided they didn't really need any fish for dinner, and once the two boys voices had faded into the distance, Natsu stripped Gray down to nothing and pulled him into the water. With their mouths melting against each other in the weightlessness of the pond, the fire mage took him slow and easy. Gray was begging again before it was all said and done, and Natsu gave him everything he asked for.

..............................................................................

The two Dragonslayers lazed around all day, lost in each others skin and mouths. They showered before eating a late lunch and taking a nap in the evening. When they woke it was already nine, so they changed their clothes and ran to the little restaurant attached to the main building of the inn that also served as a bar. After being greeted by the two kids from earlier along with a good half dozen others and plagued with questions they finally managed to settle in at a table and start drinking in earnest. A giggling waitress, who turned out to be Kyo's sister, brought Natsu flaming shots, while Gray was served the same with chunks of ice in them instead. He had to melt them down before he could swallow, but he didn't say anything. It was not the first time he was served an undrinkable frozen beverage, and it wouldn't be the last. Kyo had spent a good half hour begging Natsu to show them all some fire magic, and eventually he agreed, heading outside to show off his stuff. Gray was on his way to being legitimately drunk, so he stayed at their table and nursed his margarita, smiling as the throng of teenagers ran after his mate. The room was spinning just a little, so it took him a few moments to notice that someone had sat down across from him.

"Hey there, ice mage. I'm Rin's brother, Jinn. You seem a little worse for wear." Gray snorted, taking another sip of his drink before answering.

"S'all good." The man smiled, cocking his head to the side.

"I dunno, I doubt you can walk." The ice mage smiled, hearing his mate outside spewing flames, along with the sound of cheering.

"I'll just make Natsu carry me. I don't need legs." Jinn moved around the table, sliding in next to Gray with a devious expression.

"I could carry you, instead. Your lover's busy right now." He reached out to toy with the ice mage's dark strands. Gray glared at him, slapping his hand away and shoving at him. He could blast him with ice magic and take care of things then and there, but this was Rin's brother, and he didn't want to cause a scene.

"Fuck off, man. Did you miss the part where I'm fucking married? Not to mention mated? Don't touch me." Jinn did not move away, instead sliding his hand down to brush his knuckles over Gray's neck.

"You might like it if I touched you. I'm pretty good at it." The ice mage moved towards the wall, grabbing the other man around his wrist and twisting it up viciously. 

"Get your fucking hands off me. I don't want to make any trouble for these people, but I will freeze you into a chunk of ice and throw you across this goddamned room if you can't take a hint." He was unfazed by the death grip on his arm, bringing his free hand forward to touch Gray's lips.

"My hands would feel good on you, though. C'mon, it'll be fine." Icy magic began to swirl around Gray, eyes lighting up blue as he prepared to blow this fucker away.

"I said don't touch me, you stupid piece of-" Gray did not get to finish his insult because Natsu was there, grabbing Jinn and throwing him into the bar before pouncing on him. The kids who had come back inside along with the Dragonslayer were watching in shock as Natsu lifted the man up by the collar of his shirt to hiss in his face.

"I'll fucking kill you. You touch my mate ever again, you so much as look at him, and I will burn the skin off your bones and leave you in a pile of ashes. They won't even be able to bury you, you worthless fucker. You'll blow away in the wind." Natsu's fist fell then, impacting into Jinn's face as the sound of bones snapping echoed through the air. "Do you understand me?" When the man nodded, the Dragonslayer hit him again, blood spraying between them. "Say it."

"I understand!" Natsu stood up, dragging the guy across the room and picking him up only to slam his face down on the table in front of Gray, smashing it into the wood. 

"Apologize to my mate." Desperate eyes looked up at Gray, full of panic, and he smirked down at him. What kind of a fucking idiot tries to hit on a Dragonslayer's husband, anyway?

"I-I-I'm sorry! Forgive me!" The ice mage looked as though he was considering it, before pulling his shoulder up to his face and wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"I don't know. I smell like you now, it's gross." Natsu's eyes lit up with fire, and he pulled Jinn to his feet, burying a knee in his gut before letting him collapse to the ground in a heap. The Dragonslayer stepped on the man's throat, bearing down as he growled out his words.

"Gray's _mine._ You hear me, you fuck?" 

He tried to nod, and the fire mage felt the movement under his foot. Natsu glared at him for long moments before letting his eyes dart over to Gray. He could catch the barest traces of the beaten man's scent mingling with his mage's, and it was too much for him to take. The Dragonslayer snatched Gray up and tossed him over his shoulder, and the ice mage could not even find it in himself to care. Just waved, smirking at the wide eyed expressions of the onlookers as he was carried out of the building. _How many times is it now? Two? Three?_ Natsu was growling as he stalked back to their room, and Gray knew if those kids had not been so young, he would not have bothered. Would have shoved Gray into the wall outside the bar and taken him then and there. Instead he was being thrown down on their bed, and Natsu did not tear the ice mage's clothes off. He set them aflame, burning the fabric away until there was nothing left but smooth, pale skin beneath him. The fire mage leaned down, nipping roughly up Gray's shoulder until his mouth was at the ice mage's ear.

"You let him _touch_ you." Gray shuddered at his possessive tone.

"No, I didn't let him, I didn't want to make a scene, but I was about to blast him. I told him to fuck off." Natsu's hands were spreading Gray's thighs with harsh movements, but he still reached over to wet his fingers with lube before he shoved two fingers viciously inside his mate. "Nnnnggh... Natsu..." It was not easy, or slow, but it was so good, and Gray found himself wondering if they should go out to bars more often just to have Natsu's savage hands on him.

"No one touches you but me. Mine." The Dragonslayer was biting his collarbones now as he added a third digit, stroking Gray's cock with a merciless grip.

"Y-yours. Yes. Hnnn..." 

Natsu pulled his fingers out, burying himself to the hilt inside of Gray with one thrust. Stars danced through the ice mage's eyes, and he felt _owned._ Taken. Possessed. The Dragonslayer was brutal, ravaging his mate, giving Gray no quarter as he fucked him into mindlessness.

Natsu was growling 'mine' the whole time they were joined together.

All Gray could say was, _'Yes, yes, yes,'_ and it was more than enough.


	38. Blaze

After several days of sleeping under the stars, along with one perfect night where rain fell in torrents, slamming against the rune barrier of their outdoor room and painting the storm over them in waves, Natsu and Gray left the inn. They ended up at an onsen high in a mountain village, and it was easy to remember how close winter was up there, the chill in the air palpable. Neither one of the mages minded the cold anyway, and the hot springs filled up the private outdoor bath of their room with pure, warm waters, steam rising from the surface even without Natsu's magic. Now that the excitement of their wedding was fading, Natsu realized just how exhausting the past few weeks had been. The pair spent three days at the onsen being incredibly lazy, floating in the baths for hours on end and getting massages from tiny, blushing female wizards who truly did not realize just how useless their flirting was. Harmless, unlike the fellow at the inn before, shy grins and eyes that dropped the second either of the Dragonslayers looked at them, but still a bit amusing. Instead of the usual roll out futons Natsu had insisted on a bed, and he was grateful for it. Had not slept so much in months. He wrapped Gray up in his arms and dozed off no matter what time of day or night, the soothing sound of his mate's breathing lulling him off into his dreams. They ate food that was brought to their room each day, only leaving its confines to go outside to the bath or sit around a fire in the outdoor pit.

Natsu was on his back in the bath, letting himself hang in the water. Weightless, and boneless, eyes closed as it lapped at his face. He thought he could smell something burning, but attributed it to his mate. Gray lay sprawled out on a chair next to a fire he'd started earlier, yawning as he stared into the flames. The fire mage watched many times lately as he practiced his fire magic, only when he thought Natsu wasn't paying attention. Trying to shape and control it better, and he looked over now to catch the ice mage manipulating the blaze. Holding one hand out towards the it, making it swell and shrink. Natsu could feel the ebb and flow of the fire within, his mate's power beating inside him with each surge of magic. Maybe Gray was not in tune with his inner dragon enough to feel it himself yet, just how strongly they were bound together. Affection soared through him as Gray twisted the flames into different shapes, cyclones and spheres, bursts that looked like fireworks but without the noise.

The ice mage looked over and caught Natsu staring, his fire going out all at once as he jolted. He shot a glare at the Dragonslayer, hissing out words.

"Don't do that." Natsu eased himself out of the bath, water coursing down him in rivulets, fog coiling off his skin. He looked _primeval,_ naked and muscled, hair wet and dripping, steam rising from his body with fire in his eyes. Gray shifted in place as he prowled closer, straddling the ice mage where he sat on the lounge chair. Getting him soaking wet, but he could not find any complaints. Natsu ran his tongue over sharp whine canines, gaze locked on Gray's own. His voice was low and teasing, and Natsu ran a thumb roughly over the ice mage's bottom lip.

"Don't do what?" Gray's hands eased up the fire mage's thighs to stop on his hips, irritation melting away in the face of something else. Something heated, and dark.

"Don't be an asshole and watch me when I'm practicing with fire. It makes me self conscious." Natsu trailed his fingers down Gray's jaw, over the curve of his throat, across his collarbones. Down and down, past the muscles of his chest, ghosting back and forth on his abdomen.

"You..." The fire mage groped his muscles shamelessly, feeling them tense under his hands. "Have absolutely nothing..." He edged further down and palmed Gray's arousal through his wet boxers, feeling it hard and throbbing under his touch. "To be self conscious about." 

The ice mage rutted up into the touch with a moan, but then they both froze. Cocking their heads to the side, hearing voices shouting, too far away to pick individual words. They grew louder and louder, and Natsu realized he could still smell fire even though Gray's had gone out. The scent was becoming more powerful, burning in his nose, and they both stood up. Natsu wrapped himself in a robe, Gray following suit as they made their way towards the door of their room to go see what was going on. They had barely stepped outside the onsen when one of the employees ran into them, eyes going wide. He was gesturing frantically, pointing down the street where the smell of burning wood was overwhelming.

"I was coming to get you! There's a fire, there are kids in there, you have to get them out! You're the Salamander, right? I've seen you in Sorcerer's Magazine!"

After his second sentence, neither Gray nor Natsu were listening. They ran towards the scent of fire until they saw smoke billowing into the air, pouring out the broken windows of a large house. There was a sign on the front, _'Magechild Foster'_ and Natsu's gut clenched at the words. He'd heard of this place, an orphanage for child wizards who were not part of a guild. Too young, or too timid, or just unable to find one on their own. They placed kids with various wizard guilds, or tried to find them adoptive parents. Now it was an inferno, flames eating up the wood, and the Dragonslayers tried to run inside only to be pulled back by a woman in tears.

"You can't go in there, you'll be burned alive! Wait for the fire department, they have a water mage!" Natsu let fire shoot out of his body, flames wrapping him up until he glowed bright.

"Don't worry about us, okay?"

The Dragonslayers flew into the building, feeling the blaze lick hungrily at their skin, seeking something to consume and finding nothing it could swallow. They swallowed it instead, pulling the fire into them, moving room to room. The first few rooms were empty, but then they heard the sound of children crying and moved towards it, flames going dark in their wake. Gray was throwing out ice to douse the burning embers that remained, and when the fire mage opened to door where the children were he felt relief soar through him. A dozen young mages cowered in the unburnt corner of the room, a little girl holding her hands out with tears streaming down her face. She had put up a barrier against the flames, but was visibly flagging. Arms shaking, jaw trembling under the strain. Natsu sucked the fire down into himself, feeling power swell and surge. Wanting to be unleashed, but there were no enemies here to slay. Just a little orphaned mage collapsing as the flames went out, caught by her friends. Gray looked around nervously.

"Is this everyone? Is there anyone missing?" One of the girls was sobbing, clutching a stuffed animal to her chest.

"They took Idris! They took her, and that's why our house burned down!" Natsu frowned, crouching down beside the girl.

"Who took her?" A boy interrupted, voice angry and quaking.

"Let them take her! It's her fault we almost died!" The oldest one there was around nine or ten, and she stepped forward, shushing the others.

"Some bandits came and kidnapped Idris and took off towards the next town east of here. She can't control her magic, and when they chained her up she got upset. It's _not_ her fault, it's _their_ fault for taking her!" 

Natsu was already moving, only absently hearing Gray make sure the kids were all okay before following after him. The people waiting outside tried to stop them, speak to them, but they pushed past the throng and out onto the road. Natsu did not know why they took a child, or how they managed to do so if the girl in question started such a blaze with her emotions, but none of that mattered. They ran, and ran, and ran. Stupid fucking robes billowing out behind them, kept safe from the fire by the icy magic they held inside. They ran for what felt like miles, chasing the fading scent of flames, and Gray got an overwhelming wave of nostalgia. It felt like he'd been doing this his entire life, running towards fire, trying to catch it. Take something ephemeral and fluid and hold it in his hands, keep it in his arms, mold it to his skin. But he'd been wrong, because fire could not be kept or controlled. He'd had to step into the inferno, and now the flames lived with him. In his chest, and his eyes, and his lungs. Everything Gray was eaten up by Natsu's blaze, and instead of being left in ashes he'd been made whole.

Running towards this fire was not the same, but the familiarity made his chest ache, and when they caught sight of an overturned carriage burning bright, fire eating at it hungrily, he stumbled over his feet. The smell of charred flesh filled his nose before he caught sight of the bodies, scattered in a circle around the wreckage. It looked as though the vehicle had caught fire and the bandits tried to escape, crawling away from it but being consumed before they could extinguish themselves. They had obviously not been prepared for the strength of the child's magic, at least not for the long haul. Fear crept up into Gray's throat, the taste of acid in his mouth. Where was Idris?

Then he saw a second blaze, chains leading from it. Smelled tears, saw the fire quaking. Natsu caught his gaze, looking relieved but at the same time devastated. This girl had caused the deaths of these men, would feel responsible even though it was not her fault. There was no point in trying to hide the bodies, or dispose of them in any way. She'd heard them dying, smelled them burn. Tasted the death in the air. Gray knew what it was like to have blood on his hands, and be so fucking _young,_ shit. The Dragonslayers approached the girl, still wrapped in so much fire she was not even visible. A normal person would not have looked twice at her, would not recognize that there was, in fact, a child lost in the blaze. Natsu and Gray crouched down nearby, the fire mage reaching out, about to put his hands into the flames.

"Idris? We're gonna get you out of these chains, and-" A small voice broke free of the heat and smoke, and she sounded so lost that Gray wanted to take her in his arms. Hold her close, tell her everything would be okay. Even if it was a lie. Anything to ease her suffering.

"NO! Don't touch me! I'll burn you! I can't control it! Please, I don't want to hurt anyone else, just wait until I calm down, the fire will go out, just-"

Natsu breathed in deep, swallowing up the flames as he pulled the girl in close. Melted her chains away with his hands, and she went wide eyed as she watched her blaze disappear into his mouth. Metal dripping onto the ground, the two Dragonslayers standing inside the throbbing swell of her fire magic. Untouched, unburned. Totally unaffected, smiling down at her.

"Your fire ain't gonna hurt us, kid. We're dragons, yeah?" Fresh tears filled her eyes as she looked at them, whole and safe even as power surged around her in waves. Natsu pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair out of her eyes, grinning wide and bright.

Then she started weeping, curling into Natsu's chest. Fire blooming even larger as she was wracked with sobs, and something broke inside of the Dragonslayer. He looked up at Gray and found determination in that night blue stare, mirroring what he felt swimming through his veins. This girl wouldn't hurt anyone else with her magic. Would not look down on charred bodies, brought down by the power inside her.

Even if he had to swallow those flames for the rest of his life, it did not matter. Natsu would do it gladly.


	39. Idris

They cut their honeymoon short and headed back to Magnolia, with a tiny little red headed, red eyed fire mage in tow.  Seven years old, with a shyness born of bearing the weight of destructive magic on her shoulders.  It was easier than they expected to convince the orphanage to allow them to take her.  Everyone had heard of the Salamander of Fairy Tail, after all.  He had a reputation for being destructive, but he'd saved so many lives that they had no worries for Idris's safety.  There was no one better suited to care for her than these two mages, and no one could argue the point as they'd watched Natsu and Gray swallow her flames down as though they were nothing at all.

Neither one wanted to overwhelm her with the guild right away, so they headed home first to clear out one of Gray's extra rooms for Idris to use.  They filed into the ice mage's house one at a time, and Natsu felt her hand go viciously tight on his own just before her fire swelled up around them.  Idris began to panic even further at her flames, trying to run outside and keep them from spreading to catch the house ablaze.  

She watched with wide eyes as the fire licked at the floor, unable to swallow it up.  Natsu ruffled her hair, smiling down at the girl.

"A guy in our guild fireproofed the whole place for us.  There are runes in the walls, that keep anything from catching fire.  In case I start one in my sleep or something."  Idris's fire began to die down, calming with her breathing, and Natsu made a note to remember that.  Control her breathing, control her flames better.

"Y-You start fires in your sleep, too?"  The Dragonslayer nodded, tugging her further into the house to sit on the couch.

"Sure I do.  Not as much as I used to, but it still happens."  He laughed, running a hand through his hair.  "Before Freed fireproofed my old house, I set my bed on fire once.  Didn't even notice until it collapsed underneath me.  Happy was terrified!"  The girl smiled at the mention of Happy, having been told all about the Exceed by Natsu.  Now that things had calmed down, he hoped to convince Happy to move in with them, especially now.

It would be easy to win over the affections of a frightened girl with a flying blue cat.  Maybe it was cheating, but Natsu would take what he could get.  Gray was lugging their suitcases back into the bedroom to unpack, a little less comfortable around Idris than Natsu was, though he was just as glad to have her here.  They should be nervous about bringing a child into their lives so suddenly, but the ice mage could not help but feel...

Complete, in a way he hadn't before.  He'd though mating Natsu had made him whole like nothing else could, but watching the Dragonslayer hold this girl's hand, and show her different type of fire...  Wiping dirt from her face, and _braiding her hair,_ when the _fuck_ did he learn how to do that...

Natsu looked so right on Gray's couch with Idris curled up in his lap, leaning into his chest, those ruby eyes falling closed.  _Father._   The Dragonslayer was _born_ to be one, and Gray was not sure how he'd missed it before.  And this orphaned child with fire running in her veins, surging out of her in a way that only a dragon could truly contain?

If Gray had not believed in fate before, in destiny, he surely did now.  There was no other explanation for it, all these winding paths in his life leading him here.  Mating Natsu, defeating Dorobo.  Getting married, only to go on their honeymoon and find this girl...

The stars had shifted in the heavens, realigning to give Gray something that he thought he'd lost for good long ago.

They'd given him a family, and if he was blinking back tears while he unpacked their luggage....

He'd never fucking tell.

..............................................

Idris, it turned out, was categorically _not_ shy.  They discovered this only a few days later, their timid little orphan turning into something boisterous and vocal.  Being terrified of her fire hurting others had dampened her personality down until she was nothing but fear and uncertainty.  Once that danger was nothing but a memory, she came out of her shell fast.  Loud, without an ounce of self restraint or tact, and Gray found himself wondering more than once if there was some way she was _actually_ Natsu's daughter.  They played cards and board games together in the floor, laughing and screaming at each other, fire roiling in a cloud around them.  A few shopping trips to various places in Magnolia had yielded a bed, clothes, and more books and toys than were probably necessary.  But Idris already knew how to work the Dragonslayer, looking up at him with wide puppy eyes, holding a stuffed animal or bracelet or trinket of some sort.

_Please, Papa Natsu?_

The answer was always yes, and Gray could see this becoming a problem in the future.  In that moment, though, he could not manage to begrudge Idris anything she asked for, considering she'd only recently lived in terror of herself.  Afraid her flames would hurt those she loved, so much so that it changed who she was inside.  Now she was safe, no chance that the magic inside her would go out of control, and she bloomed before their eyes like a flower.  Wild, and bright, and full of life.

She was begging to go to Fairy Tail, to meet their friends and get her guild mark.  Red, just like Natsu's, but on her hand instead.  _'So if I need to smash someone, they'll know what guild I'm from!'_   Natsu had never looked so fucking proud, and they'd finally agreed to take her to the guild the next day.  Gray thought they would never get her to sleep, and it took the ice mage reading her a solid dozen storybooks before her eyes finally dropped closed.       He crept from her room as quietly as he could, padding down the hall to find Natsu sitting on their bed, hair still damp from the shower.  The fire mage looked as tired as Gray felt, neither one of them used to the unending exuberance of a young child.

"She finally asleep?"  Gray nodded, falling face first into the mattress with a groan.

"Yes.  Just now."  He'd been  reading to Idris for over an hour, and his voice was raw with overuse.  Natsu pulled the blankets up over him, running his fingers through Gray's dark locks, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"I was going to jump you as soon as you came in here.  We haven't had a chance to be alone since we came back from the onsen, but you look fucking beat."  

The fire mage climbed into bed next to him, the candles that burned in their room winking out at his urging.  He wrapped Gray up in his arms, the ice mage nuzzling into him with a sigh.

"I'm so tired all the time.  She's like a little vampire, draining out my life force."  Natsu laughed, rubbing his face back and forth across Gray's hair.

"I know."  They were silent for awhile, the darkness of the room soothing, the sound of their breathing rhythmic and familiar.  Then Gray's voice broke over the quiet, so serious it made Natsu's chest ache.

"It's worth it, though."  Natsu sighed back, smile splitting his face wide.

"You're right.  It is."

They slept hard that night, as they had every night since Idris had arrived.  Slumber only reached through a special kind of exhaustion.  Sweet, and full of joy, even as it drained you down to nothing.

............................................

 

Gray woke up the next morning as the sun was starting to light up the sky, naked now, his thighs spread wide with gentle hands. A slick finger circling his entrance as Natsu swallowed his length down, and fuck, it felt wonderful.

"Nnnnngh!  N-Natsu..."  The ice mage's mouth fell open as that finger slipped inside, quickly joined by another, working him apart.  Natsu pulled off Gray's cock, trying to quiet him.

"Shhhh!  You'll wake her up."  He couldn't manage to keep his noises down, though, another moan swelling up from Gray's throat as the fire mage took his cock back between his lips and scissored hot fingers inside of his mate.

"Haaaahh..."

Natsu made a disapproving noise around Gray's arousal, which only served to draw out another breathy whine as the vibrations reverberated over his shaft.  He loved listening to the noises the ice mage made, he really did, but right now they couldn't afford to be too loud.  The Dragonslayer idly wondered if Freed could soundproof their room, keeping all the sounds inside somehow.  It was worth looking into, he thought, as Gray writhed under his mouth, trying to bite back his whimpers.  They had not come together like this in almost a week, their time together now filled with Idris.  Gray was not going to last long, but that was fine with Natsu.

He'd be more than happy to swallow everything the ice mage had to give before taking him hard.  Fingers shoved into that noisy mouth, if he had to, teeth biting into his skin.  Natsu shuddered at the thought, hands working even faster inside of Gray, bobbing up and down on his cock with increasing urgency. The ice mage was tensing now, hands fisting in Natsu's hair, hips stuttering as they rocked up into the Dragonslayer's mouth.

"Na-Natsu..."

It was all the warning he got before Gray shouted his name, coming down the fire mage's throat in heated bursts. 

"NATSU!" Natsu eased him through it, cringing at the loudness of Gray's voice even as he sucked him dry. The ice mage panted desperately, looking giddy and euphoric as he smiled down at Natsu. "Fuck, I needed that." He spread his legs wide in invitation, and the Dragonslayer did not need to be asked twice. Natsu slid up between Gray's thighs, crown brushing up against his entrance, and-

 _BAM BAM BAM._ A little fist sounded out on their door, loud and unmerciful.

"PAPA GRAY! Are you okay?" The doorknob jiggled, and Natsu let his head fall into Gray's chest with a groan. "Why's the door locked? Papa Natsu? Is it time to go to the guild yet? You said we would go today when we woke up, and I'm up now, so I think we should go. Does it matter how I dress? It's not like school is it? Is there a uniform? 'Cause if there is I don't have one and...."

She kept talking, on and on, and Natsu rolled off of Gray with a sigh, shooting the ice mage a glare.

"This is your fault. You're too fucking noisy." The ice mage looked legitimately sorry, running a hand through Natsu's hair with a grimace.

"I'm sorry. You like my noises, though. Maybe there are runes for that, too."

Runes weren't going to help Natsu's aching balls, and he got dressed slowly, irritation rolling through him in waves. 

It all melted away when they opened the door to see Idris smiling wide, bouncing up and down. Happier to see them than she had any right to be, as though they were the best thing in the world, and Natsu smiled right back.

He couldn't wait to get her to the guild. She was perfect, just like Gray, and they were both his. His mate, and his daughter. 

Natsu's family, and he was keeping them forever.


	40. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In a few days, it will be exactly a year since I posted the first chapter of this fic, which is the first story I ever posted online. I was incredibly nervous, and pretty sure my writing was garbage, and that no one would want to read anything I put on here. Now a year later, and I've written over 800,000 words of fic, not to mention the stuff I've written of my own. Most days, I'm pretty confident my writing is actually good. I got my writing back, thanks to fanfic and you guys. So thank you for reading my stories, and commenting, and just generally being awesome. 
> 
> This is not the last we'll see of Natsu and Gray from this universe. Lightning Forged is ongoing, as well as Shadow Aspect, and our boys will show up in those from time to time. I will also probably be starting a collection of one shots based in this world, just called 'Dragonslayers', so I can smut you guys from time to time.
> 
> Again, thanks for reading. It means a lot.

_Ten Years Later_

 

Gray stood in the doorway of their house, arms crossed as he leaned against the frame, watching fire erupt in violent bursts in the front yard. They'd moved out of Gray's house a year or so after Idris arrived in favor of somewhere close to the edge of town with enough space for his fire mages to spar without burning down nearby buildings. Happy sat on his shoulder, a wide grin splitting the cats face, cheering for Idris to 'smash his stupid mouth in, come on, you can do it!' Natsu was being exceptionally merciless that day, going after Idris viciously, not giving the girl a chance to get her bearings. He was shirtless and barefoot, only a pair of white pants on, and it was hard for Gray to tear his eyes away as the fire mage moved back and forth across the yard. The scarf Natsu had worn for so many years was wrapped around their daughter's throat, and she fought with it on as though it was a part of her, just as Natsu always had. When he'd first given it to her it was bizarre, the Dragonslayer looking naked all the time without it, but after a few months the strangeness fell away. Idris never took the thing off, to the point that Gray wondered if she showered in it, and it was nostalgic in a way that made Gray's chest ache.

She was gaining absolutely no ground in her fight with her father. Every time she turned around he was in her face, fist full of fire, and Gray could feel the heat of it even from far away. He rarely got his flames so hot, but Idris seemed distracted, and the Dragonslayer exploited it without mercy. Natsu landed a kick at her ankles, and it would've taken the girl off her feet if she had not laid a palm flat on the ground and thrown her legs to the side. She spun them, turning it into a blazing kick of her own, but Natsu flipped over her like it was nothing.

"Your fire's not hot enough! You tryin' to burn something? Pfffft. Won't even survive the winter with that pitiful little spark." 

Idris responded to Natsu's goading just like the Dragonslayer himself would, fire surging up around her, eyes flashing with fury. She attacked with increasing ferocity, but never quite managed to land a blow. Never had, not on either one of them, not even once. They did not baby her when it came to training, and the day she finally made contact in one of their fights, Idris would know it was her own skill that made it happen, and not their love for her. It didn't stop her from trying, the two fire mages a blur as they rolled and leapt and twisted in the air. The other members of the guild were a little more forgiving usually, allowing her to get a few hits in, but the Dragonslayers were merciless. Gajeel beat Idris to a pulp with his metal knuckles. Laxus left her twitching with electricity, unable to so much as move. When Sting and Rogue came around, they fought her together, and she was dizzy and seeing spots by the time they were finished, light and shadow swimming through her vision. Wendy blasted her into trees, and tossed her into the air, and Idris loved every second of the fights she got into with the other Dragonslayers. _They don't fuck around like everyone else,_ she'd say, and Gray would scold her for her language as Natsu laughed. Gray could scent the sky Dragonslayer approaching then, and he knew Natsu would too, though he did not give any indication of it. 

It was their ten year anniversary, and Idris was spending the weekend with Wendy and Carla, Happy trailing along because he was pretty much her cat at that point. He still went on jobs with Natsu and Gray, but if they were at home, the blue cat would inevitably be curled up in Idris' lap, or flitting around her head. The Dragonslayer still smiled every time he saw them sleeping together, Happy's little face nuzzling into their daughter's own. Wendy walked up to Gray with a grin, watching Idris take a blow to the gut and collapse into a heap. The red head shot Natsu a glare, and he helped her up, smiling wide.

"Did you think I was gonna take it easy on you 'cause you're leaving with Wendy?" Once she was on her feet she shoved at Natsu before dusting herself off, still clutching her stomach with one arm.

"When have you _ever_? I just didn't want to get all sweaty before I left." Natsu just shrugged, unapologetic, and the pair walked over to Wendy and Gray looking a bit worse for wear. The ice mage picked up the backpack at his feet, handing it over to Idris with a soft smile.

"You okay, kid?" She snatched the bag away, chin raised, looking indignant.

"Didn't hurt, I'm fine. Papa Natsu couldn't hurt me if he tried." 

Gray smiled wider, because it was true, but not for the reasons Idris meant. Natsu was incapable of hurting Idris because he had stars in his eyes when he looked at her. They both loved her, but Natsu wore it on his sleeve, and in his face. Written over his every expression, blatant and adoring. Gray's showed more in little gestures. Cooling magic in her room in the heat of summer, books she'd been wanting that appeared on her shelf. Her favorite foods for breakfast anytime she was feeling down, hours spent at their dining room table on her homework and not once did the ice mage grow annoyed or impatient. Keeping Natsu out of her hair when the girls' friends came over. Sneaking her clothes that the fire mage didn't approve of, because they were 'too revealing'.

Gray still fought to keep his pants on half the time, he couldn't begrudge the girl a crop top.

She hugged the ice mage, kissing him on the cheek before turning to Natsu. The Dragonslayer leaned down to hug her, only to receive her palm flat on his face, shoving him back roughly.

"Don't touch me, you're sweatier than I am, it's gross." 

The two girls ran down the driveway, Idris calling a distracted 'Love you!' over her shoulder before they disappeared around the corner. Natsu sighed, turning to Gray, and his grin went crooked and feral. Alone. They were actually _alone._

"Let me go take a shower, and then-" 

Gray grabbed Natsu's shoulders and spun him inside the house, pushing him backwards and pulling the door closed behind them. Then he leapt at the Dragonslayer, wrapping his legs around Natsu's waist, shaking his head in disagreement.

"Nope."

The ice mage buried one hand in Natsu's hair, the other reaching to scratch at the fire mage's back, and he started licking at the tan skin of his mate's throat. Sucking, nipping with sharp teeth, grinding his hips against Natsu's abdomen. He murmured into the Dragonslayer's flesh, voice rough with want, low and desirous.

"Now." Natsu's hands had automatically come up to hold Gray in place, fingers digging into his ass, head falling to the side to allow him better access.

"But I'm... _fuck..._ I'm fucking dirty right now." Gray did not care. The ice mage licked a stripe up Natsu's neck, tasting the salt of his sweat, biting his lobe and whispering into the fire mage's ear.

"Then get me dirty, too."

Natsu groaned at the words, and all his protests fell away in an instant. It had been a while since they'd been able to come together in such a way, without worrying about Idris being nearby or when she'd be coming home, now old enough to know exactly what her parents were up to. Their room was soundproofed, sure, but the girl was up even later than they were and there was something unnerving about having sex and listening to her moving around the house. Usually they managed, sucking each other off in the shower, or waiting until she was at school. Natsu often woke the ice mage up mouthing at his cock, something about how Gray's scent was intoxicating in the morning. The dark haired wizard had a dragon's nose too, but it still wasn't as strong as Natsu's, and when the fire mage buried his face in coarse hair at the base of Gray's shaft and breathed in deep, it still made them both shudder. 

It had been ten years since they'd become mates, and the time had changed them, though not dramatically. Natsu's back was broader, no longer all lean muscle and a wiry frame. Still shorter than Gray, but definitely wider, and when those biceps closed around the ice mage he could feel the strength in them. They weren't wrinkled yet, no gray in their hair, or lines at the corners of their eyes. When it happened, though...

Natsu would be just as beautiful. Gray could feel it in his bones. They would get old together, and watch Idris finish growing up, and see a new crop of wizard's take over Fairy Tail's ranks. 

They still fought in the guild hall over the stupidest things, and bickered with one another at the drop of a hat. Erza didn't bother splitting them up anymore. That was Idris' job now, passed off to a new redhead with a temper just as fiery.

In the blink of an eye Natsu had Gray on their bed, tugging off their clothes with impatient hands, and the ice mage just went loose and let him do it. Natsu's fingers were rough as they spread his thighs, bruising, and Gray whined at the feel of them. So familiar, the Dragonslayer's touch etched into his skin over the years like invisible tattoos, lingering there unseen. He no longer wondered if all this was a dream, or if he'd wake up alone in a bed far away, yearning for Natsu's touch.

Natsu was _his,_ and the idea that he'd ever thought otherwise was almost absurd. 

The fire mage's lube slicked fingers were slipping into him then, stretching him, but there was no finesse. Didn't need to be, not with how much he wanted Natsu right then, and the Dragonslayer seemed to sense it. He hurriedly worked Gray open, kissing him messily all the while, mouth desperate and hungry. It wasn't long before he was nestled between Gray's thighs, pushing into him with a growl, and that first time did not take long. The ice mage was coming untouched a few strokes in, Natsu following not long after, and he did not even bother pulling out. Just kissed Gray slow and sweet, hot hands sliding up and down his sides, gripping his thighs, thumbing his nipples.

Still worshipful. Still adoring. Still in love, even now.

Still looking at Gray as though he hung the stars in the sky. Like he held the secrets of the universe in his hands, in his eyes, in his mouth.

As though if Natsu kissed him hard enough, he could taste them there.

So Natsu tried. Kissed Gray until they could barely breathe, sucking in desperate lungfuls of air when they broke apart only to come back together again. Teeth sinking into one another's lips, swallowing down each other's noises. Painting ragged _I love you's_ into each other's skin, and Gray knew it was true.

_Natsu loves me._

When they finally stilled, sweat soaked and exhausted and filthy, Gray's face hurt from smiling. 

The ache of affection, and if he had to bear it the rest of his life, it would still not be long enough. _Forever._

Gray would chase Natsu through the afterlife, and come out reborn on the other side, just to stand next to him a little bit longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not crying you're crying.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Instinct](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5507687) by [Chiyala (Shiningangel)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiningangel/pseuds/Chiyala)




End file.
